e regret to announce the passing in January of Lamar Williams, founder of the American Motorcycle Institute in Daytona Beach, Florida. He was 62. Williams served on the AMA Board of Directors for a decade and was an enduring figure in the motorcycle industry as the chief executive of the American Motorcycle Institute in Daytona Beach. During Daytona Bike Week, Williams and his staff at AMI opened their doors to the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association crowd, offering hospitality, workspace, tools and whatever else was needed by the vintage racers.
     “Lamar was a true enthusiast,” said AMA President Robert Rasor. “He loved being around motorcycles and motorcycle people. But he also made great contributions to the AMA and the entire motorcycling community with his hard work and dedication.”
     Williams served on the AMA Board from 1991 through 2001 and he was also an AMA Life member. He sold AMI in 2004 to a national chain of vocational schools and lived in Wilbur-by-the-Sea, Florida, at the time of his death. AMI was also a corporate member of the AMA for more than 30 years while Williams was the school’s chief executive.

Mikuni’s Lee Chapin (left) with the ever-hospitable Lamar Williams during the 2005 Daytona Bike Week. Photo courtesy of Lee Chapin.

he American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has announced changes to the organization’s structure designed to increase the Association’s effectiveness in its core mission of promoting motorcycle “rights. riding. racing.”
     The changes, which were announced following the February 17 meeting of the AMA Board of Directors, will create three new standing committees of the Board -- Rights, Riding and Racing -- each designed to focus on one element of the AMA’s mission. These committees will consist of Board members and other experts who will meet at least twice a year for the purpose of strategic planning within each core area.
     “The AMA is the leading voice of American motorcyclists in a wide variety of areas,” said AMA Board Chairman Rick Gray. “We are at the forefront of efforts to defend the rights of motorcyclists. We create riding opportunities through our calendar of more than 1,000 sanctioned road-riding events each year. And we are the largest motorcycle racing organization in the world, with a yearly schedule of more than 3,000 races at the amateur and professional levels.”
     “This new structure allows us to use the expertise of our Board of Directors most effectively,” he added. “By allowing these committees to work on the Association’s long-term direction in each of these critical areas, we can be more responsive to the interests of all AMA members.”
     The AMA Board consists of 12 members, half elected by individual AMA members from six regions of the country, and half elected by the AMA’s corporate members. The new committees will be in addition to the Board’s existing Executive Committee and Finance Committee. Assignments to the new committees will be made in the coming weeks by the Board chairman.

he Motorcycle Industry Council, Inc. recognizes the importance of the American V-Twin segment and its unique market position. In response to the growing needs of this segment, the MIC Board formed the MIC American V-Twin Committee in late 2004.
     One hot issue that the MIC American V-Twin Committee identified early on, was the challenge that custom bike builders face in having to conduct the elaborate vehicle testing and certification required by the EPA emissions regulations. Currently, custom motorcycle builders and small volume manufacturers must certify the complete motorcycle even if they install an engine that is used in another motorcycle that has already been EPA certified. The high cost and complicated, time-consuming procedures for vehicle certification are a major burden or infeasible for many custom motorcycle builders and small volume manufacturers. To certify one engine family can cost in excess of $10,000, not including the much higher cost and time that can be associated with the development of engine calibrations that comply with the emissions standards in the first place.
     Since most custom bike builders or kit bike assemblers use engines that are also used in many other motorcycles, the Committee asked the question, “Why can’t a custom builder install an engine that has already been EPA certified in another motorcycle, as long as reasonable criteria are met?” This would be a practical, economic solution that would benefit the engine manufacturers, the motorcycle builders, assemblers and hobbyists.
     The Committee noted that the preamble in the new EPA regulations stated that they would consider such an engine certification program and EPA staff also announced their intention to develop such a program at the March 2005 EPA certification workshop.
     MIC and Committee members first called EPA staff in April 2005 to ask them about their intention and expressed concern that it may take years to incorporate the option of an engine certification program into EPA regulations. It was suggested that a more expedient means for providing such a program may be a Manufacturer Guidance Letter, as similar provisions have been provided to manufacturers through such letters in the past.
     The EPA asked MIC to put its thoughts together in a draft guidance letter for their consideration and MIC quickly responded. Under MIC’s draft proposal, a small volume manufacturer or a producer, seller, or assembler of highway motorcycle kits is not required to apply for or receive certification to install an engine certified under this procedure, provided such person:
     1) Installs an unmodified certified engine
     2) Does not install the engine in a vehicle that exceeds the weight and gearing limits used to certify the engine
     3) Uses or installs the evaporative emission system or parts specified by the engine manufacturer
     4) Permanently affixes the required label in an approved location on the vehicle and
     5) Assures that the owners manual is provided to the ultimate purchaser.

     MIC is concerned about the misinformation within the industry surrounding this issue and the efforts to derail MIC’s progress on what will be a beneficial option for the V-Twin industry. If such an engine certification is not developed by EPA, that leaves the V-Twin industry with no alternatives to the full-blown vehicle certification, and many small builders will simply not be able to comply with the EPA regulations for 2006.
     The MIC American V-Twin Committee is spearheaded by newly announced Chairman Ted Sands of Performance Machine and its members include Fred Fox of Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties, Lee Chapin (Mikuni American Corp.), Buzz Dyer (Cycle Shack, Inc.), Frank Espositio (Global Motorsport Group, Inc.), Wil Garland (American Ironhorse Motorcycle Company, Inc.), Gayle Greene (Paramount Custom Cycles), Dave Koshollek (DAKO Enterprises, LLS)), Nick Messer (Big Dog Motorcycles), Maurice Murray (Zoom Strategic Marketing), Grady Pfeiffer (GH Marketing), Jason Severstson (GE Consumer Finance), Tom Seymour (Saddlemen), Len Sims (NADA Appraisal Guides), and Brett Smith (S & S Cycle, Inc.).
     The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) is a not-for-profit, national trade association representing manufacturers and distributors of motorcycles, scooters, motorcycle/ATV parts and accessories and members of allied trades. It’s located in Irvine, California.