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American Motorcyclist
Association announces 2009 AMA Motorcyclists(ATVs) of
the Year
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The American Motorcyclist
Association (AMA) today announced the 2009 AMA
Motorcyclist of the Year with a departure: This
year's recipients are a group, rather than an
individual. The winners? Kids who ride
motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
America's youngest riders were at the center of
the biggest story of the year in 2009, as the
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
enforced a ban on selling youth-model
off-highway vehicles (OHVs).
AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman made the
announcement at the annual AMA Racing
Championship Banquet, presented by KTM North
America, being held at the Hard Rock Hotel &
Casino Las Vegas.
"The core of the AMA mission is to promote the
motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of
motorcycling, and few threats have taken a more
direct aim at that lifestyle than the Consumer
Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which
effectively banned the sale of youth-model
OHVs," Dingman said. "The AMA Motorcyclist of
the Year is the person or persons who have had
the most profound impact on motorcycling in a
single calendar year. Although they were
unwitting victims, kid motorcycle and ATV riders
were thrust into that role in 2009."
The January 2010 issue of American Motorcyclist
magazine, which will arrive in members'
mailboxes within the next week, includes an
in-depth examination of the issue, as well as a
report on the importance of motorcycling to
young riders and their families. The articles
will be available online at
AmericanMotorcyclist.com after AMA members
have received their magazines.
"This devastating ban could potentially cast
aside the hopes and dreams of thousands of young
riders and their families," Dingman said. "It is
our duty to protect those dreams and
re-establish the permanent access that young
riders have to youth-model OHVs.
"With the 2009 AMA Motorcyclist of the Year
announcement, we want to thank every young rider
and his or her family all across America,"
Dingman said. "By further raising awareness of
the issue, we will all gain more ground in this
important battle."
At the center of the controversy is the CPSIA
provision that strictly reduces the levels of
allowable lead in children's toys. Because OHVs
include lead in parts such as battery terminals,
valve stems, engine cases and controls, the law
banned the sale of OHVs intended for kids 12
years old and younger in early 2009.
Thanks to the efforts of AMA members, AMA staff
and others, more than 70,000 motorcyclists used
online tools provided by the AMA at
AmericanMotorcyclist.com to voice opposition to
the law. As a direct result, the Consumer
Product Safety Commission issued delayed
enforcement of the law until 2011. With
congressional leaders reluctant to re-write a
law that they had just passed, the delay of
enforcement was critical to the efforts to
resolve the issue because it secured valuable
time for the AMA and its allies to continue to
pressure regulators and lawmakers to permanently
exempt youth-model OHVs from the CPSIA.
"The passion, thoughtfulness and perseverance of
AMA members helped us make headway in this
fight," said AMA Vice President for Government
Relations Ed Moreland. "But we have a long way
to go. We urge all motorcyclists to reach out to
their representatives so that we can make sure
appropriately sized OHVs continue to be
available to kids who ride motorcycles and
ATVs."
Among the solutions to this issue is H.R. 1587,
introduced by U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.),
which would exempt kids' OHVs from the
lead-content provisions of the CPSIA. The AMA
strongly encourages motorcyclists to contact
their representatives and urge them to support
this bill by going to AmericanMotorcyclist.com >
Rights > Issues & Legislation.
About the American Motorcyclist
Association
Since 1924, the AMA has promoted and protected
the motorcycling lifestyle. AMA members come
from all walks of life and they navigate many
different routes on their journey to the same
destination: freedom on two wheels. As the
world's largest motorcycle organization with
nearly 300,000 members, the AMA advocates for
motorcyclists' interests in the halls of local,
state and federal government, the committees of
international governing organizations and the
court of public opinion. Through member clubs,
promoters and partners, the AMA sanctions more
motorsports competition events than any other
organization in the world. Through its
Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, the AMA
preserves the heritage of motorcycling for
future generations. For more information, visit
www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
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