Recent Entries

• What Happens Next?

  by RevBigJohn November 8, 2024
  It has famously been said that "elections have consequences." The results from Tuesday's election will certainly impact what happens in Washington, D.C., starting in January 2025. Donald Trump’s election, coupled with Republican control of the U.S. Senate, is a dramatic...

• CARB Postpones AGAIN

  by RevBigJohn November 7, 2024
  This afternoon, less than 90 minutes before a scheduled hearing, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced the postponement of that hearing. The public hearing was focused on an electric motorcycle initiative that would require half of new motorcycles sold in the state be electric ...

• Tuesday Is Election Day Update To Last Friday

  by RevBigJohn November 1, 2024
    Next Tuesday is Election Day. With the election on the horizon, legislators nationwide are in full last-minute campaign mode. Congress may have its eyes already turned toward election results, but we will follow up on ou...

• It's Not Just Bikers...

  by RevBigJohn October 25, 2024
  Two recent news stories demonstrate that the issues motorcyclists care about also impact all Americans. Concerns about a pair of items, both parts of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) legislative agenda, are making news… and not in a good way. First, fears are increasing that guardrails...

• Pa. Senate Passes Bill to Extend Lemon Law Protections to Motor

  by RevBigJohn October 19, 2024
  Pa. Senate Passes Bill to Extend Lemon Law Protections to Motorcycles The Senate unanimously approved legislation that would extend Pennsylvania’s Lemon Law protections to cover motorcycles. Senate Bill 155 now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration. Pennsylvania...

• 50 Years Of Motorcyclist Rights

  by RevBigJohn October 18, 2024
  Easyriders magazine editor Lou Kimsey made a plea in issue #3, October 1971, for bikers to unite to fight impending restrictions by joining a new national organization called the National Custom Cycle Organization. However, because of a conflict with the acronym, the name was changed in February 197...

• Freedom Of Choice

  by RevBigJohn October 16, 2024
  Wear A Helmet If You Want To Wear One Earlier today, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a study claiming that since the mid-1970s more than 20,000 motorcyclists would have survived crashes had they been ...

• It's CARB ...It's Always CARB

  by RevBigJohn October 11, 2024
  This week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced the rescheduled date for a hearing regarding “On-Road Motorcycle Emission Standards and Test Procedures and Adoption of New On-Board Diagnostics and Zero-Emission Motorcycle Requirements.” As you may r...

• 40th Anniversary Recap

  by RevBigJohn October 4, 2024
  The last weekend in September, Freedom of Road Riders hosted the 40th Annual Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) Meeting of the Minds, in St. Louis, Missouri. This annual event allows motorcyclists’ rights advocates the chance to share the legislative accomplishments of ...

• Automated Taxi Mayhem

  by RevBigJohn October 2, 2024
  To Err Is Human - To Really Muck Up Requires A Computer Two self-driving taxi companies embarrassingly made news this week. First, while Vice-President Kamala Harris was in San Francisco, her travel was interrupted when a Waymo...

• IIHS Studies Distracted Driving

  by RevBigJohn September 27, 2024
  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released details of a recent study on driver behavior when using vehicles with levels of automation. The study, done in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab, should raise the eyebrows of those char...

• 40th Annual Meeting of the Minds September 26 - 29, 2024

  by RevBigJohn September 24, 2024
  When To Be Where: Event Registration will be open on Thursday (9/26) from 3pm to 7pm in the HUB. At 7pm on Thursday we will have Meet The States in the Concourse Ballroom and socializing everywhere. Event Registration will re-...

• Internal Combustion - A Hot Topic

  by RevBigJohn September 23, 2024
  Recently, at both the state and federal levels, lawmakers have been fighting against the effort to kill the internal combustion engine (ICE). This past Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.J. Res 136. The vote was 215 in favor and 191 opposed. The resolution blo...

• The MPP Survey Continues To Produce Valuable Data

  by RevBigJohn September 18, 2024
  One of the tools the MRF used to get the Anti-Motorcyclist-Profiling Resolutions passed in Congress was the Profiling Survey at the Motorcycle Profiling Project (MPP). This quick and easy survey is renewed yearly with no personal information collected and only about four to f...

• It's Late, But... Not Too Late To Register

  by RevBigJohn September 16, 2024
  The “early bird” deadline has passed.  However, it’s not too late to register for Meeting of the Minds 2024. The MRF celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Meeting of the Minds and opens the book on motorcyclists’ rights activism for the next 40 years!  Sixteen inf...

• Musical Chair (people)

  by RevBigJohn September 13, 2024
   6-year term limit Republicans place on committee heads. Chairman Graves is considering seeking a waiver to remain the top Republican on the committee, but it is unclear if he will receive that extension. If he is unsuccessful, several other committee Republicans have announced their plans to j...

• MRF Says Protect Right To Repair

  by RevBigJohn September 6, 2024
  MRF Says Protect Right To Repair.'   Congress has been on vacation for seven (7) weeks, but the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) never takes a vacation; we will not stop fighting for the rights of bikers. This week, Kirk “Hardtail” Willard, President of the MRF, sent a let...

• Contributions Of The MRF PAC

  by RevBigJohn August 30, 2024
  With election season in full swing, it is a prime opportunity to talk a little about the Motorcycle Riders Foundation Political Action Committee (MRF PAC). The MRF PAC is an entity that raises money and then disburses those funds to candidates for federal office. The MRF PAC...

• 40th Annual Meeting of the Minds September 26 - 29, 2024

  by RevBigJohn August 28, 2024
  Registration DeadlineFast Approaching The September 4 deadline for Meeting of the Minds early registration, is fast approaching. If you have not registered, now is the time to do so. MRF and ABATE of Kansas member, Tammy Rails...

• Dave Cazel 1947-2024

  by RevBigJohn August 26, 2024
  The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) recently lost a great champion. Dave Cazel passed away on July 28, 2024. Dave was unassuming and did most of his work “behind the scenes." He was not particularly flamboyant or outspoken. That was evident by his self-introduction as simply, “Cazel."...

• California Updates Of Interest

  by RevBigJohn August 23, 2024
  In the last week, two legislative items from California caught our eye. Both issues could impact not only those who live, work or visit the Golden State, but could have lasting impacts across the nation. First, as the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) reported earlier this ...

• Support The REPAIR Act!

  by RevBigJohn August 20, 2024
  Renew Call To ActionH. R. 906(Update - Link Fixed) The REPAIR Act, H. R. 906 remains in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. This 52 Representative committee has someone from most US States and they need to move this leg...

• MRF Responds To NHTSA Survey

  by RevBigJohn August 16, 2024
  Last week, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) submitted comments to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on a proposed survey of biker’s thoughts on motorcycle avoidance technology. The MRF submitted comments highlighting two areas of a propose...

• Sturgis Hall Of Fame Awards

  by RevBigJohn August 10, 2024
  2024 Freedom Fighter AwardHonors Jiggs Cressy 2024 Law Tigers Hall Of Fame Hero AwardHonors Kirk "Hardtail" Willard & MRF This week the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame Inducted eight new members.  Included...

• 40th Annual Meeting of the Minds Sept. 26 - 29, 2024

  by RevBigJohn August 7, 2024
  All Roads Lead To Meeting Of The Minds Your attendance at the Meeting of the Minds is vital!Take action now to attend the 40th Annual Meeting of the Minds conference, September 26-29, rest easier - make your reservations now! ROOMS ARE LIMITED ...

• Congress Races To The Exits

  by RevBigJohn August 2, 2024
  Last week, in a surprise move, the House of Representatives canceled their last planned week of work in D.C. for the end of July.  Representatives returned home for the August break a week early. Their departure, followed by the Senate leaving this week, means lawmakers will spend more than 40 ...

• Wall Street Journal Investigates Tesla Autopilot

  by RevBigJohn July 31, 2024
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJnkg4dQ4JI An investigative report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Tesla crashes caught our eye this week. The report used crash data submitted by Tesla to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and cross-referenced it with state acci...

• What To Do At Sturgis

  by RevBigJohn July 29, 2024
  Thursday Aug 8th - 12p-3:30p Join your fellow motorcyclist's rights advocates for some social time! Compare notes, compare bikes or simply hang out and have a beverage. It's a short ride from Sturgis, but away from the heavy crowds. Hosted by ABATE of South Dakota, this is always a worthwhile stop....

• 2022 Traffic Safety Facts for Motorcycles

  by RevBigJohn July 26, 2024
  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released their 2022 Traffic Safety Facts for Motorcycles. The 15-page report details motorcycle safety data including geographic, demographic and other factors in crashes and fatalities involving bikers. As is often the case, how statistics...

• The Silly Season

  by RevBigJohn July 24, 2024
  The term “Silly Season” goes back to the 1800s and refers to a time when journalists faced a dilemma: Washington D.C. is on summer break, European governments are on vacation, but the space newspapers typically devote to politics must still be filled. So, stories about ...