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Message: [QUOTE="Geoff, post: 292605, member: 20133"] As much of our trail system has been closed, we use our plated bikes for getting from one trail to the next. The AMA's position on conversions will soon end our ability to ride "trail to trail" on a decent bike(XR/WR/KTM EXC....). I am not sure that I can support my membership with the AMA. Tell the AMA what you think: [email]membership@ama-cycle.org[/email] Copied from another forum: Dear John & Scott, As you probably know the allowance of "conversions" varies greatly state to state. Thus, the AMA rules for a dual sport run require that dual sport motorcycles comply with all state requirements for road use. (It should be noted that the rules for a dual-sport run are in the AMA "on-road" rule book, not the "off-road" rule book. From an activities perspective the AMA sees dual sport bikes as first and foremost on-road motorcycles.) Yes, some states will let you "get away with more" than the others but those states may be in error. Some of the bikes being converted are manufactured and marketed as closed-course only machines. They are marketed as competition only so that they will be exempt from EPA noise and emissions standards under the Clean Air Act. The WR will not meet the EPA emissions standards for highway use (in fact it will not even meet the minimum standards for a "green" sticker in California for "unrestricted" off-road use). And just because someone has installed an after market lighting kit on a bike does not mean that it is truly in compliance with US DOT. I realize that the specific situation that we are talking about is very frustrating for the bike owner, so let me explain why it is so important that we try to do the right thing. The EPA asked some very specific question of us about the dual-sport conversion issue (YES, they know what has been going on). One thing that they had considered doing to prevent riders from exploiting this "grey" area was to limit access to competition models. Thus, only riders with "professional" credentials would have access to "competition models", such as the WR. So, the AMA and other concerned motorcyclists have spend the better part of the last two years convincing the EPA that motorcyclists are responsible enough to buy competition only models for competition, recreation models for trail riding and street legal bikes when they intend to go dual-sporting. As a fellow dual-sporter let me just say that there may have been a time when there were not a lot of (competent off-road) dual-sports to choose from; but, that time is no more. There are some great legal (and quiet ) dual-sports available. As I have often commented about the bone stock dual-sport that I ride, "if you can't get it done on this thing, then you had better look into another sport". If you want to talk about any of this in more detail please call me. Good luck, Royce L. Wood Legislative Affairs Specialist American Motorcyclist Association 13515 Yarmouth Drive Pickerington, OH 43147 (614) 856-1900 ext. 1225 [/QUOTE]

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