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Old August 1st, 2015, 05:40 AM   #1
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[American Motorcyclist Association] - AMA News and Notes: August 2015





National and Regional News



WASHINGTON, D.C. The American Motorcyclist Association delivered 29,379 signatures to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on July 27, along with a message in opposition to the agency’s proposal to increase the amount of ethanol in the nation’s fuel.

The EPA proposed setting the Renewable Fuel Standard for 2014 at the levels that were actually produced and used, which totaled 15.93 billion gallons. But for 2015, the standard rises to 16.3 billion gallons. And for 2016, the total increases again, to 17.4 billion gallons.

“By increasing the amounts of ethanol into America’s gasoline marketplace, the EPA will force the fuel marketplace to exceed the blend wall by hundreds of millions of gallons,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations.

The blend wall is the point at which no more ethanol can be blended without creating higher blends like E15 and above.

None of the estimated 22 million motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles currently in use in the United States are certified by the EPA to use fuels containing more than 10 percent ethanol. Inadvertent misfueling may cause engine or fuel system damage and void the manufacturer’s warranty.

During the EPA’s comment period on the proposed rule, the AMA collected 29,379 signatures on an online petition opposing the higher ethanol mandate and asking the EPA to lower, rather than increase, the standard.

The EPA’s comment period on the proposed rule ended July 27 and the AMA forwarded those signatures, along with its comments, to the EPA. The EPA intends to take final action on this proposal by Nov. 30, which would return the agency to the program's statutory timeline for issuing RFS annual rules.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new poll sponsored by the AMA shows that 45 percent of Americans oppose the federal mandates that require increasing amounts of corn ethanol in our nation’s fuel supply. Just 31 percent favored the mandate. After learning about the potential engine and fuel system damage caused by ethanol, 78 percent of respondents said they had “very serious concerns” about E15 use.

The poll also shows that 67 percent of people favor the agency setting ethanol volumes below what is currently required by law, with 68 percent of Democrats and 71 percent of Republicans supporting volumes lower than the statute.

The poll, conducted by Lake Research Partners and Bellwether Research & Consulting, included responses from 1,000 likely 2016 voters. Pollsters contacted voters via phone with professional interviewers using both landline and cell phones from July 6 through July 10. Interviewers reached 1000 likely national likely 2016 voters who self-identified as follows: 400 Democrats, 340 Republicans and 226 Independents.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The AMA contacted the U.S. Department of Transportation in July to voice its support for the existing requirement that every motorcycle helmet sold in the United States be certified by its manufacturer to meet the DOT standard.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Wayne Rainey, three-time Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme 500cc Grand Prix World Champion and two-time American Motorcyclist Association Superbike Champion, will be honored as an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Saturday, Oct. 17, in Orlando, Fla.

The induction ceremony is taking place in conjunction with the American International Motorcycle Expo at the Orange County Convention Center. Tickets to the induction ceremony are available now at www.motorcyclemuseum.org. Regular entry is $25 per person. VIP tickets that include an exclusive reception, reserved seating and AIMExpo admission are $90 per person.

Rainey, who himself was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, will be honored along with the current class of inductees. The Class of 2015 includes road racing champion John Kocinski, former Harley-Davidson CEO Richard Teerlink, off-road racing champion Rodney Smith, entrepreneur and industry patron John Parham, dirt tracker Alex Jorgensen and longtime Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. race team manager Keith McCarty.

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legends are previous inductees into the Hall of Fame whose lifetime accomplishments are showcased as part of the annual induction ceremony of new Hall of Famers.

Rainey was the top World Championship 500cc Grand Prix rider of the early 1990s, winning three consecutive World Championships riding for Yamaha in 1990, 1991 and 1992. In addition to his accomplishments on the world level, Rainey was also a star of AMA Superbike racing during the 1980s, winning that title in 1983 with Kawasaki and again for Honda in 1987.

The AMA letter to the U.S. DOT came in response to a proposal by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to set new federal standards for helmet construction. The AMA believes the proposed standards would stifle manufacturers’ ability to provide motorcyclists with helmets that use advanced technology. The law also would include a testing procedure for law enforcement officers to use in the field to check helmet liner thickness. The AMA believes that move would be imprudent.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Forest Service is seeking nominations for its Recreation Resource Advisory Committees, which provide advice and recommendations on recreation fees to the Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

RRACs are structured to help ensure motorized users are well represented, so it is important that the motorized community steps forward to fill any vacancies that occur.

Additional information concerning the Recreation RACs, including current openings, can be found by visiting the Recreation RACs website at: http://www.fs.fed.us/passespermits/rrac-org-links.shtml.

State News

MONTGOMERY, Ala. With the adoption of H.B. 212, Alabama became the last state to require motorcycle operators to take a rider safety course or written test to obtain a Class M endorsement. State Rep. Phillip Pettus’ bill grandfathers in all Alabamians who already have a Class M endorsement. The law, signed by Gov. Robert Bentley, takes effect Jan. 1.

PLACERVILLE, Calif. – The Barrett 4-Wheel-Drive Trail, which connects Wright’s Lake to Barrett Lake, has reopened following reconstruction of three segments to protect sensitive meadows. The rugged 6-mile route has been used by recreationists since the 1960s and provides one of the most challenging off-highway-vehicle experiences in the Sierra Nevada.

The Barrett trail was one of 18 routes in the Eldorado National Forest travel system identified as in need of corrections to comply with environmental protection guidelines in the Sierra Nevada Plan, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The routes were closed in 2012 to complete further analysis and make corrections.

HONOLULU, Hawaii Gov. David Ige signed a law repealing the state’s requirement that gasoline offered for sale in the state contain ethanol. The wording of the law includes acknowledgement that blending ethanol into gasoline does not produce any economic benefit, and the importing of ethanol creates an economic burden for residents.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Auxiliary lighting on motorcycles would be permitted under a new law awaiting the signature of Gov. Jay Nixon. H.B. 650 would allow amber and white lights, LED pods and strips that do not blink, flash or oscillate and that are directed toward the engine and drivetrain.

COLUMBUS, Ohio H.B. 154, the state’s “dead red” bill, has been reported out of the House Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety committee. The bill would permit motorcyclists to proceed through a malfunctioning red light and to treat it as a stop sign, proceeding through the intersection after stopping and checking for approaching traffic.

AUSTIN, Texas – A group of MotoTrials enthusiasts is battling to keep the OHV trails open in Emma Long Metropolitan Park and to reopen trails that were closed.

Some local officials are using the authority of the Balcones Canyon Conservation Plan to keep some closed trails off-limits to motorcycles and to mountain bikes and close additional trails, supposedly to protect wildlife and prevent soil erosion.

Riders Kent Browning and Tomás Pantin say that erosion along trails in the park that already are off-limits to motorcycles provides proof that motorcyclists and mountain bikers are not causing the environmental damage that officials say led to the closings. Trials bikes are specially design vehicles that riders use to complete a circuit of challenges, using balance and precise control of throttle, clutch and brakes.

The trails that the BCCP closed have been part of the motorcycle trails since 1970, while the BCCP assumed authority only in 1996. For more than 40 years, members of the Central Texas Trails Association have ridden and maintained the trails, the riders report. When the motorcycle park fell under BCCP control, its then-existing use was to be grandfathered.

Industry News

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Michigan has opened a 32-acre outdoor research lab for testing automotive technology, such as vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. The facility allows researchers to test the technology in a simulated urban setting that includes a variety of roads and streets, a small section of freeway, an underpass, gravel and brick pavement, roundabouts, traffic signals and sensors.

EAST TROY, Wis. – HMCL Americas Inc. and HMCL NA, Inc. -- both wholly owned subsidiaries of Hero MotoCorp Ltd. -- have entered into a settlement agreement with the court-appoint receiver for Erik Buell Racing LLC and Erik Buell Racing Inc. to acquire some of EBR’s tangible and intangible assets for $2.8 million.

The settlement is contingent upon approval by the Circuit Court overseeing the case and by Hero’s board of directors on or before Aug. 10. The receiver has scheduled a sale of the EBR assets for 11 a.m. ET on Aug. 5. A hearing for court approval of the sale is scheduled for Aug. 6.

Hero did not state which assets are included in the settlement agreement. The company released a statement that “The performance of the settlement agreement will help Hero MotoCorp’s in-house research and development teams to accelerate development of certain consulting projects, including the projects EBR was executing for the company at the time of filing of the Chapter 128 Receivership.”

When EBR filed for protection from creditors in April under Wisconsin’s Chapter 128, the company listed liabilities of $20.4 million and assets of $20.8 million. A receiver, Michael Polsky, was appointed to oversee the company during the proceedings.

During the auction at the Milwaukee Athletic Club, the assets will be sold in lots. Those lots include: EBR’s motorcycle manufacturing and related assets; EBR’s machinery, tooling, equipment, vehicles and furnishings; EBR’s U.S. motorcycle inventory and parts; EBR’s European motorcycle inventory and parts; accounts receivable; and intangible assets and intellectual property. Bids will be accepted on any combination of lots.



International News

PARIS, France – The French government has banned all earphones for motorists, including motorcycle and scooter riders. The ban is intended to prevent drivers and riders from using earphones with a microphone to make and receive telephone calls while the vehicle is in operation. There is no ban on Bluetooth headsets, but earphones are not permitted.

BERLIN, Germany – The European Commission is considering a legal challenge against Germany over proposed road tolls that some believe violate the European Union’s anti-discrimination laws by targeting foreign motorists.

Germany’s Parliament approved the tolls in March, but German President Joachim Gauck has not signed them into law. The tolls would force foreign drivers to pay as much as $143 a year to drive on German roads.

The AMA remains concerned that U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe would be directly and unfairly affected by this toll. In a letter to U.S. ambassador to Germany, John B. Emerson, the AMA pointed out that the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) governs the treatment of military personnel.

In an April 22 response, liaison officer Glendon Pitts stated that the lower house of the German parliament passed an amended draft of the bill that exempts U.S. forces covered under SOFA from the toll obligations.

AMA News

PICKERINGTON, Ohio Wayne Rainey, three-time Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme 500cc Grand Prix World Champion and two-time American Motorcyclist Association Superbike Champion, will be honored as an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Saturday, Oct. 17, in Orlando, Fla.



The induction ceremony is taking place in conjunction with the American International Motorcycle Expo at the Orange County Convention Center. Tickets to the induction ceremony are available now at www.motorcyclemuseum.org. Regular entry is $25 per person. VIP tickets that include an exclusive reception, reserved seating and AIMExpo admission are $90 per person.

Rainey, who himself was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, will be honored along with the current class of inductees. The Class of 2015 includes road racing champion John Kocinski, former Harley-Davidson CEO Richard Teerlink, off-road racing champion Rodney Smith, entrepreneur and industry patron John Parham, dirt tracker Alex Jorgensen and longtime Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. race team manager Keith McCarty.

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legends are previous inductees into the Hall of Fame whose lifetime accomplishments are showcased as part of the annual induction ceremony of new Hall of Famers.

Rainey was the top World Championship 500cc Grand Prix rider of the early 1990s, winning three consecutive World Championships riding for Yamaha in 1990, 1991 and 1992. In addition to his accomplishments on the world level, Rainey was also a star of AMA Superbike racing during the 1980s, winning that title in 1983 with Kawasaki and again for Honda in 1987.

AMA News & Notes is a monthly publication compiled and edited by the American Motorcyclist Association Government Relations Department. Designed to inform motorcyclists of rights-related issues and events in the United States and around the world. AMA News & Notes welcomes your input. Suggestions and editorial contributions can be sent to AMA Government Affairs Editor, Jim Witters. Sign up and stay informed: AMA News & Noteskeeps motorcyclists up-to-date on hot topics, news affecting the motorcycling community and opportunities to communicate with elected officials. Click here to check the “Sign me up for News & Notes” box at the bottom of the page.

AMA Action Alerts notifymotorcyclists when and how to make a difference on important issues. Click here to see the most recent AMA Action Alerts, and click here to sign up.

Readers can also sign up to receive AMA e-newsletters: AMA Extra includes a summary of AMA news, ATV E-News includes a summary of ATV-related news and Hall of Fame Insider focuses on the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

Protect your right to ride! Volunteering is easy, and it’s rewarding. To learn how you can help, visit online at www.americanmotorcyclist.com > Rights > Get Involved.

Follow the AMA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/americanmotorcyclist, on Twitter @ama_rights and on Instagram at @ama_riding.




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