OFF THE WIRE
The loud pipe issue often gets confused, as the AMA has just endorsed a sound standard using the use of decible meters for all motor vehicles. ABATE, for all I can see, is silent on this issue, but they can't be for too long. This is the issue that will make them or break them, as loud pipes ARE OFFENSIVE, and freedom does not include annoying everyone within 1000 yards when flexing one's rights. This is the highest hill that the public's barrels are coming down at us from.
The fight now is that politicians are using the EPA exhaust label standard on motorcycles only (CA, and it's been introduced in NH) that does not really address the loudness issue. It's a draconian misguided law, that would even make some sound legal BMW exhausts illegal, for the same reason that some Euro helmets are illegal in the US for not being "DOT" approved, but are some of the finest helmet products made.
Having a EPA label on a unpacked loud exhaust is 100% legal with this standard, and also, the standard fails to address autos with loud pipes, they get a free pass. It's a "motorcycle only" law, which is awful for riders.
Maine has just endorsed this sound standard for ALL street vehicles.
One thing we have to be wary of is to not let the government isolate motorcycles for specific laws. Checkpoints, etc. This slope is too dangerous, as history shows us, once a minority of any kind is successfully targeted by the state it's hard to stop.
I don't want to use the P word, but the AMA, and ABATE are political orgs. It's a inherently knarly business. The secret to this is to find consensus.
For example:
Here is the NJ Abate top ten list:
1. Increased penalties for right of way violations causing injury or death. (Like)
2. Fight for increased penalties for and enforcement of distracted driving violations. (Like)
3. Maximum utilization of motorcycle safety funding program. (Like)
4. Promotion of driver and rider education courses and motorcycle awareness. (Like)
5. Modification of handlebar height laws. (Don't care, but don't know how many states have made ape hangers illegal, NJ has. Guys use them, it's another arbitrary law here.)
6. Lane splitting per task force bill. (Like)
7. Option to proceed at unresponsive red lights. (LOVE)
8. Increased enforcement of covered load laws. (Like)
9. Legalize multiple motorcycles per parking spot. (Like)
10. Educated freedom of choice concerning helmet use for adults. (Don't care)
In NJ, point #1 is non-existent. Turn in front of a bike and kill someone, and you get an illegal turn ticket, or careless driving.
#9 It is technically illegal to share a parking spot with another motorcycle in NJ, and it is arbitrality enforced, depending on the local town's current revenue stream. This is the insanity targeted at 2 wheeled riders that is out there.
If a person was a force in achieving success with points 1 through 9, think they would gain the credibilty to influence point #10? It's possible that person could end up be the ABATE chairperson, purely on performance metrics!
Boiling down all rider issues to one (mandatory helmet laws) is ignoring a lot of what is going on out there on our roads (and trails).
