It's been over three years since this all went down and now the AMA is a different organization in many respects. I know this issue cut into some folks with some well known players leaving the AMA. So in hindsight, how do you feel about the AMA before, during or after this changing of the guard?
For better or worse?
http://pentonusa.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8523&SearchTerms=ama
http://pentonusa.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8709&SearchTerms=ama
Pete Petrick
175 Jackpiner
Slow but Good
Worse, mostly! I've always had a love/hate relationship with the AMA. I love that they are a sometimes effective voice for protecting our rights, but hate that they seem to completely overlook the local clubs and riders who made and supported them over the years. (The AMA doesn't have a clue.) The shift to the west and Las Vegas seems to be all about glitz, and not substance. Naming Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger 2010 AMA Motorcyclist Of The Year is a travesty, and completely political. He is to safe, licensed, considerate motorcycling what I am to ballet. It just doesn't equate. Maybe it's just a generational thing with me, but I can't really see what the goals of the AMA are. It all seems to come down to money. We used to look forward to the Daytona Bike Week schedule in American Motorcyclist as a real service to the riders. It has been absent now for two years, and now we find out there is no vintage roadracing this year until October. Again, how is this a service to the riders? Thanks for letting me vent.
I'm with ya on the love/hate relationship. I joined in 1974 purely so I'd be able to ride my first "big boy" enduro, a 100-mile national in Central Village, CT. Paid my annual dues to the point that I became a life member and now they don't even send me the magazine anymore. Positives for me, as an off-roader, were the AMA racing end of things and fighting land closure issues, and also the Six Days. I also did a few AMA District road rallies before gravitating to the more touring-friendly BMW rallies. Off-setting those things were the scads of member monies spent to give people the right to ride bare-headed on the street and annoy the general (and non-motorcycle loving) public with drag pipes...among other things...and also the way they've summarily thrown out long-time staff members over the years. Gotta add that the AMA Museum and Hall of Fame are huge positives as well.
I don't have to pay dues any more, and if I did I would probably only do so to the point that I reached life status again. I'm glad I supported the AMA in the 70's and 80's and if I was coming into it fresh today I'd probably fork over the 40 bucks or whatever it is just so I could race, just like I did back in '74. Kind of like a necessary evil, and I'm just venting about past things since I'm not up on current events.
Having said all that, I think it is way cool that Jack has a leadership position there. He's seen all the good and bad from the off-road angle, as has his dad, and in his professional, diplomatic way will, I'm sure, do what he can to educate the folks there as to what some of the real issues are and how to address them.
Jeff DeBell
I think virtually all off road racers have a love/hate relationship with the AMA, me included. Like most of us, I only joined because I had to if I wanted to race. I am much more optimistic for the future of the AMA now that they have Jack, and even more importantly, they saw fit to put him in a position where he can actually make an impact not just window dressing.
Brian
I really hope things will change for the future and I hope that Jack can make a change but it is kind of like herding cats... I joined back in the 70's becasue I thought I needed to in order to race, but in truth very few races each year actually played out that way and I was looking at the new schedule and there is plenty of racing but in order to do that, I would have to travel on a average 1000 miles each way... From what I can see, nothing has changed and for all the promises (sorry Jack) I don't think it will change... too many intrest being handled by people who seemed to be intrested in any thing but what is best for the sport... I have no interest in what guys who ride choppers want or need, as far as I am concerned the only similarity is the fact that the vehicle I ride and theirs both has two wheels and that is not much of a comparison. I do not own a street bike and my issues seems to go un noticed while the street riders get all of the attention, why should I send my money in when they do almost nothing for me but send some rag that spends so little time addressing anything that interest me in any way... when the horse is dead, its time to dig a hole.
Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)
74'250 hare scrambler (project)
74' 1/2 440 maico
78' 440 maico
72' cr125 Husky (project)
74' TM125 suzuki
93' RMx 250 suzuki