National and Regional News

WASHINGTON D.C. — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) hosted a reception on behalf of the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus at the American Legion Kenneth Nash Post 8 in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12, 2025. The event brought together members of the Caucus and newly elected members of Congress, along with motorcycle advocacy groups and industry leaders, to discuss the future of motorcycling in America.  
 
Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI-05), Representative Troy Balderson (R-OH-08), Representative Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01), and Representative Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-03) provided remarks emphasizing the importance of motorcycle safety, infrastructure, and the economic impact of the motorcycle industry. They were joined by Representative Dina Titus (D-NV-01), and newly elected Representatives Dave Taylor (R-OH-02), and John McGuire (R-VA-05), further highlighting strong bipartisan congressional support for motorcyclists. 
 
Along with multiple members of the AMA government relations department, the event featured senior staff from Harley-Davidson, Polaris, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF), and the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), representing the interests of riders, manufacturers, dealers, and the aftermarket industry. General discussion focused on issues important to preserving the motorcycling lifestyle, roadway safety, common sense regulation, and promoting motorcycle-friendly legislation. 
 
The Congressional Motorcycle Caucus serves as a vital forum for addressing issues and legislation impacting motorcyclists at the federal level. The AMA is grateful for this collaboration and continues to work with the Caucus to ensure motorcycling remains both safe and accessible for future generations. 

RUCKERSVILLE, Va.— A new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has indicated that reflective clothing — which typically aims to make riders more visible to drivers — may hinder the ability of automatic crash prevention systems to detect motorcyclists and bicyclists. The study looked at the effects that visible and reflective clothing have on the performance of automatic emergency braking systems in three 2023 car models — a Honda CR-V, a Mazda CX-5 and a Subaru Forester. 

It was found that the CR-V and CX-5 hit the dummy 84 percent and 88 percent of the time in their respective trials, and neither model slowed at all when the dummy was clothed with reflective strips on its limbs. The Forester performed much better, however, avoiding collision in all but one trial. Using multiple trials to test each control variable, an adult-sized dummy was clothed in different outfits — including a black sweatshirt and pants, a reflective jacket with black sweatpants, the black sweatshirt and pants with reflective strips added to the dummy’s arms and legs, and a white sweatshirt and pants. Various scenarios were also tested in this study, with the vehicles traveling at 25 miles per hour with no roadway lighting, 10 lux of illumination and 20 lux of illumination.

The AMA has consistently raised alarm about the increased prevalence of automatic emergency braking systems and their ability to detect motorcyclists on the open road. Recently, the AMA issued support for H.R.10347 — commonly referred to as the Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act of 2024 — which aims to enact increased requirements for automatic emergency braking systems installed in new cars, trucks, buses and other commercial and passenger vehicles.

In addition to recent developments regarding H.R.10347, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently delayed the implementation of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 127, which required all new light vehicles to contain automatic emergency braking, pedestrian automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. This provision originally scheduled to go in effect for all new vehicles by September 2029, has been delayed (pending a review in response to legal challenges) until March 20. 

State News

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) California Desert District Advisory Council (Council) has announced its 2025 meetings.  All meetings will be held, and the field tours will commence and conclude at the BLM California Desert District Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262. 
 
The Council will participate in a field tour on March 28, and a meeting on March 29; participate in a field tour on July 11, and a meeting on July 12; and participate in a field tour on Nov. 14, and a meeting on Nov. 15. The field tours and meetings will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and virtual participation options will be available for the meetings.  
 
For further information, you may contact Kate Miyamoto, BLM California Desert District Office, (760) 883-8528, or kmiyamoto@blm.gov. You may also use the follow the link for more details:  Public Meetings of the California Desert District Advisory Council.

CANON CITY, Colo. — The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Resource Advisory Council (RAC) has announced its 2025 meeting dates. The RAC will in person with a virtual participation option on June 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. MT, and participate in a field tour on June 27, from 9 a.m. to noon MT; and meet virtually on Oct. 23, from 9 a.m. to noon MT. The June 26 meeting and the field tour will commence and conclude at the Royal Gorge Field Office, 3028 E Main Street, Canon City, CO 81212, as well as virtually through the Zoom platform. The Oct. 23 meeting will be held virtually on the Zoom platform. 
 
For more information, contact Public Affairs Specialist Levi Spellman, BLM Rocky Mountain District Office, 3028 E Main St., Canon City, CO, 81212, (719) 269-8553 or lspellman@blm.gov. You may also use the follow the link for more details: Rocky Mountain Resource Advisory Council Announces 2025 Meetings. 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wyoming Resource Advisory Council (RAC) has announced its 2025 meeting dates. The Wyoming RAC will meet as follows: 

• April 23: in-person and virtually, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MT. A field tour will be held April 24, beginning at 8:30 a.m.  

• July 9: in-person and virtually, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MT. A field tour will be held on July 10, beginning at 8:30 a.m.  

• Oct. 21: in-person and virtually, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MT. A field tour will be held Oct. 22, beginning at 8:30 a.m. 

All three meetings will be held at a determined Wyoming Field Office, as well as virtually. For further information regarding agendas and virtual meeting information, you may contact Allegra Keenoo, BLM Wyoming State Office, (307) 775-6318, or akeenoo@blm.gov. You may also use the following link for more details: Wyoming Resource Advisory Council Announces 2025 Meetings.

AMA News

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The 2024 AMA racing and recreational riding season was unforgettable, with several outstanding individuals and groups separating themselves as worthy of the 2024 AMA Racing, Organizer and Volunteer Awards. Recognizing the excellent individuals and groups that created a strong and healthy competitive and recreational environment in 2024, the AMA awards acknowledge racers who have excelled in throughout the year and those who have worked to further the AMA’s mission of promoting the motorcycle lifestyle and protecting the future of motorcycling. 
 
AMA members participated in the selection process of certain racing categories — including the Athlete of the Year awards — while AMA staff selected the recipients of the organizational and volunteer awards. 
 
The AMA Athlete of the Year Awards were presented to Josh Toth (National Championship), Walker Porter (Grand Championship) and Joel Hetrick (ATV). Michael Grizzle was recognized as the AMA Veteran/Senior Racer of the Year, while Caleb Wood was awarded as the AMA Youth Racer of the Year. 
 
The AMA Female Racer of the Year was awarded to the ISDE Women’s Trophy Team — which consisted of Brandy Richards, Rachel Gutish and Ava Silvestri — who secured their fifth ISDE title in Galicia, Spain. 
 
The AMA also gave out organizational awards to Moto Pro Inc. (Motocross Organizer of the Year), U.S. Hard Enduro (Off-Road Racing Organizer of the Year), WERA (Track Racing Organizer of the Year) and NYOA (ATV Organizer of the Year), who were all recognized for their prowess in operating AMA-sanctioned races. 
 
Coast Riders Motorcycle Club Inc. was named the Recreational Road Riding Organizer of the Year and MotoVermont earned the Recreational Off-Road Organizer of the Year. Baer Racing earned AMA Club of the Year honors, while Jason Weigandt secured the AMA Media Award. Dalton Shirey was awarded the AMA Sportsman of the Year. The AMA also recognized Liz Kiniery as the AMA Volunteer of the Year.   

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Performance warehouse distributor Turn 14 Distribution will be the presenting sponsor of 2025 Permco AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, which will run July 25-27 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. With locations in Pennsylvania, Texas, Nevada and Indiana, Turn 14 Distribution’s dedication to the powersports vehicle market — from motorcycles to UTVs — makes it the perfect partner for Permco AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. Turn 14 Distribution helps the motorcycle industry operate efficiently as it stocks its partner manufacturers’ product lines to allow for speedy order completion. 

For more information on Turn 14 Distribution, visit turn14.com/.  

With vintage racing in a wide collection of disciplines, the largest motorcycle swap meet in North America, the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Bike Show, vendor displays and much more, 2025 Permco AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days presented by Turn 14 Distribution is set to be another grand celebration of all things vintage motorcycling.  

To stay updated on all things VMD, visit vintagemotorcycledays.com/, sign up for the VMD Newsletter and follow the official VMD social media pages on Instagram and Facebook.   

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AMA News & Notes is a monthly publication compiled and edited by the American Motorcyclist Association. 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 Director of Communications Matthew Miles at mmiles@ama-cycle.org.

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