The Scene

THE SCENE

IVAN J. WAGAR

ONLY THREE short years ago, an American rider competing in Europe, or an European racing here, was a pretty rare sight. During this interval, however, our sanctioning body, the American Motorcycle Association (AMA), got its stuff together with the world governing body, the Federation Internationale de Motorcycliste (FIM), and the results have been fantastic.

Until that time there was almost total isolationism on our part from the rest of the world. Our sport dawdled along at an embarrassingly slow growth rate. Consequently, the AMA started to disintegrate as its leaders lacked the foresight to go forward at a pace necessary to fulfill the needs of American riders. California’s District 37 threatened to secede, along with the New England clubs. New associations began to spring up, such as the AFM, ACA, AAMRR, etc., running races under international rules for the riders not interested in the traditional AMA dirt track events of the era.

The situation began to change three years ago when the Executive Committee was expanded from eight to ten members, and some new blood came on board. The association became the sole FIM affiliate for this country and serious thought started going into the need for international harmony, and the very broad needs of our riders. The people at 'the helm began going out into the field to ask and listen for ways to make the sporting group bigger and better.

We have now seen Jim Pomeroy win a world championship motocross race; we have also hosted a world championship motocross, and it was on par in every respect with most European events. The 125 motocross recently held in Missouri was a points event counting for the FIM Cup, the intermediate step toward a full world championship event, possibly next year. As previously mentioned in this column in the September issue, observed trials will be in the same category, now that the FIM has offered us a points event for that sport. And, Formula 750 in road racing this year is for the FIM Prize, another midway step on the verge of a full championship.

But the granddaddy of all world events is the International Six Days Trial, the Olympics of motorcycling, and by the time you read this the event will already have been held in our very own Berkshires.

This very brief historical recap is only to point out that we now are very much a big part of the whole world scene of motorcycling, and just how much the AMA has progressed in scope and outlook. From an often justly accused Mickey Mouse outfit with an annual budget of about $300,000 the AMA has grown to a $3 million per year association.

Both the old and new AMA has had its critics. The old AMA was criticized for being a small-time Harley-D avid son controlled club, which in part is true. But we all owe H-D a vote of thanks for realizing the need for a user group and the need for a sport sanctioning body. One by one, as motorcycling grew and people willing to work were available to fill vacant seats on the controlling Executive Committee, the H-D family people' and supplier reps stepped down, thus relinquishing control. Progressively the Executive Committee has been expanded from ten members to twelve, thus assuring broader interest and representation.

The new AMA, however, is not without its new breed of critics also. There are many who accuse the association with being so preoccupied with racing that it has ignored the road and trail riders. And to some extent that also might be true. It is easy for humans to be caught in the glamor of international big time racing. That is why ABC Wide World of Sports is showing motorcycle races, when four years ago they wouldn’t even talk to us. National radio broadcasts and press coverage now is fairly common place.

Motorcycling has come out of the dark ages, due in no small part to the sport/competition aspect of the AMA, which will sanction some 7000 events this year.

Some of the business heads in the association complain that a tenfold growth in less than a half dozen years is not healthy; the ISDT is five years too early; we’re biting off more than we can chew. Possibly, but the one fact that remains foremost is that the association was, and quite justly, accused of not doing enough for so many years that now we may be in an overkill situation. It is for that reason that all future commitments and planned activity will be studied more closely than in the past.

Some critics feel that one association can never fill the needs of all motorcycle riders in this vast country; that maybe it is time to have a racing club and a user club. One thing that is very certain in my mind is that all of us should start paying more attention to the dire need for a more unified voice from motorcyclists. The day that an attorney can go to Washington and

declare that he represents five or ten million taxpaying U.S. citizens who ride motorcycles we will be able to do something about adverse legislation. While industry has the most to gain from a strong consumer association, it has done precious little to help the situation. Traditionally manufacturers, distributors and dealers have looked on the AMA as a race sanctioning body only, and their contribution, morally and financially, has been ridiculously small.

Both Kawasaki and Suzuki tuck AMA membership applications in the warranty envelope you pick up with your new machine, but that’s about it for industry effort. There can be legal problems with giving away memberships, but when we consider that new motorcycle sales projections for this year are 1.3 million, it is pathetic to think that the Legislative Department of our national association can claim only the voice of 160,000 members.

On the other hand, 160,000 voices is a whole bunch better than none. I am constantly concerned with any new group that comes along with promises to save our sport from doom, and that we won’t have any place to ride our motorcycles if we don’t join the new XYZ club, which is going to solve all our problems. Things are not quite that easy, I don’t think. The AMA is not perfect, but it’s the best game in town. There is a good base to build upon for a real, meaningful voice. The association has been around more years than most motorcycle riders alive today, and will still be around when most of us are long gone. But the great strides to put the U.S. on the world map of motorcycling and ensure that riders (all riders) have a voice can only be perpetuated if more of us care about the future, industry and riders alike.