March 10, 2023

Coalitions Rejuvenated

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) 2023 legislative agenda includes a diverse set of issues that strike at the core of who we are as bikers.

Historically, the MRF has fought many battles to defend individuals and the aftermarket motorcycle businesses’ rights to customize and repair motorcycles.  Our successful defense against the EPA’s “Color and Chrome” only initiative and the regulations/enforcement related to it helped define the MRF and what we stand for to this day. 

The MRF has long supported the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (RPM Act), which would ensure that modifying motor vehicles into racing vehicles used for competition would not violate the Clean Air Act.  We anticipate an updated version of the RPM Act will be introduced this Spring. The MRF and our partners will work diligently for passage of this commonsense piece of legislation.  Importantly, some of these parts and technology we are looking to protect are used in the EPA allowances for one-per-lifetime custom bikes and Tier 1 eligible motorcycles we fought for two decades ago.

The MRF agenda also strongly supports the desire to protect a consumer’s right to repair, and ownership of data related to their vehicles.  A recently introduced bill, H.R. 906 The Repair Act, helps protect consumers ability to utilize independent repair shops and aftermarket parts to work on vehicles, including motorcycles.

These issues are becoming increasingly important and drawing the attention of the aftermarket industry and bike customizers. The EPA has restarted a campaign of increased enforcement and it is threatening shops and individuals with legal action.

MRF President Kirk “Hardtail” Willard recently appeared on Cycle Source Magazines “Shop Talk” radio show to discuss these issues and this week traveled to Daytona Bike Week to join independent motorcycle shop owners and others in the aftermarket industry to discuss the many issues facing this industry.  The meeting was hosted by Chris Cullen of Cycle Source Magazine and moderated by industry icon Bob Kay.  Hardtail had this to say about the meeting, “It was encouraging to see both the level of concern and willingness in this group to engage in our efforts and educate other players in the aftermarket industry.”

The MRF won’t tackle these challenges alone, we are aggressively looking to put back together our coalition that was so effective in past battles. In the past the coalition included, the aftermarket industry, media and print publications, other custom vehicle organizations, and other motorcyclists’ rights groups.  Lastly, our Master Mechanic and technical expert Dave “Dad” Dwyer is looking to schedule a meeting with the EPA in Detroit to discuss our growing concerns.

These are challenging issues, but with your continued support and the help of other like-minded advocates we will fight to defend the rights and freedoms we cherish.