I thought I'd share this new letter I received from the AMA.... This is just another case of how a state like New Jersey can help destroy an already shaky industry... They should pat themselves on the back for being the biggest group of ass holes to rule in Trenton in my life time... DEP Proposed Rule Would Prohibit Dual-Sport Motorcycles on State-Managed Lands More Info Your Comments Needed by Sept. 14 The American Motorcyclist Association believes that you will be interested in reviewing and commenting on a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Proposed Rule. The DEP is proposing an amendment to the State Parks Service Code that would, among other things, define motorcycles as “off-road vehicles,” which would generally prohibit them from state parks. The proposal would exempt certain types of motorcycles “including touring motorcycles, traditional or commuter-type, cruisers or choppers, and sportbikes …” from the definition of off-road vehicle. However, the rule doesn’t exempt dual-sport or adventure motorcycles from the definition of off-road vehicle. Presumably, dual-sport and adventure motorcycles would be prohibited from state park roads even though they’re street legal. It isn’t clear how the DEP would determine what constitutes a prohibited or exempt motorcycle. However, DEP documents say that motorcycles to be exempt from the state parks ban are “ … not designed to be operated off-road and are, therefore, excepted from the proposed definition. Accordingly, unlike the vehicles categorized as off-road vehicles, motorcycles may be driven on established public roads…” The AMA is still developing its official comments in response to this rulemaking and will post them to http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com when they’re finalized. Riders are encouraged to review the DEP proposal and to provide comment to the agency. It is also recommended that riders send copies of their comments to Gov. Chris Christie and to their state legislators. Due Date: Sept. 14, 2012 Comment at: http://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/comments/ Or mail to: Alice A. Previte, Esq., ATTN: 01-12-06, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Legal Affairs, Mail Code 401-04L; PO Box 402, 401 East State Street, 4th Floor, Trenton, NJ 08625-0402 Proposed Rule: http://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/proposals/20120716a.pdf Information about your state legislators can be found on the Rights section of the AMA website. If you participate in this rulemaking please share your comments with the AMA at grassroots@ama-cycle.org.
This is a copy of a letter I sent to my legislator in my district to voice my concerns and displeasure of this proposed ban.... I am a 52-year-old motorcycle enthusiast residing in Monmouth County NJ. I have lived in New Jersey my entire life. For the last 30 plus years I have enjoyed on average 12 hours per month of recreational riding in the state forests of New Jersey on road-legal, insured motorcycles. New Jersey's state forests have thousands of miles of sand roads which are extremely enjoyable to explore and enjoy on a motorcycle, and it's one of my favorite aspects of living near the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Riding sand roads on a motorcycle is a challenging endeavor, requiring certain equipment to do so in a safe manner. Operating a motorcycle on soft sand roads requires what some view as an "off road vehicle." The motorcycles I ride are road registered and insured. I operate them in a responsible fashion, ever mindful of my surroundings. The proposed rule changes will prohibit appropriate motorcycles from operating on these public unimproved roads. As a tax-paying New Jersey resident, I feel state lands should be available for use and enjoyment by the public. Prohibiting the only class of motorcycle capable of using these public roads will unfairly prevent thousands of law-abiding, tax-paying New Jersey residents from enjoying their state forests. The argument that the very same motorcycles I enjoy responsibly are often used irresponsibly, and thus should be prohibited, is unfair. It's like prohibiting prescription medications because some people abuse them. That is not the answer. The result of this type of management is to exclude the responsible, law-abiding users while the illegal abusers continue unabated. In the same fashion, prohibiting perceived "off road vehicles" from using the public unimproved roads of the New Jersey state forests will do nothing to remove illegal, unregistered, uninsured off road vehicles from the woods. These people will continue to ride illegally because they can. There is simply no way to effectively patrol the state forests due to their large size. The proposed rule changes will only remove law-abiding users, who are not the problem. Please do not punish the law-abiding, responsible enthusiasts with these rule changes. In addition to punishing law abiding tax paying citizens, it will also cripple the entire New Jersey motor cycle industry. The network of dealers in New Jersey are also tax payers who thrive solely on this unique industry. In these extremely hard economic times when the goal is to generate jobs, this proposed ban will only put more people out of work. And that is the exact opposite of the stated goals of our elected officials. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my concerns.
Well written letter. To the point and makes a lot of sense. Reminds me of the gun registry thing here in Canada. All guns are to be registered in order to control them, as if a thug will go and register his gun! Good luck with your 'cause, hope more people will join in the effort.
Yep that's always the case.... They do more harm then good with these ridicules rules they propose... I belong to an AMA and ECEA sanctioned club.. We do more good in the state forest then any of these supposed leaders have a clue about... A few times a year most clubs here have a widespread cleanup effort... That means that a lot of people give up their Saturday or Sunday and walk for miles cleaning up stuff these dirt bags toss out their car or truck windows.... We have had a great relationship with parks superintendent over the years and have respected every request to stay out of certain areas due to environmental concerns... The state park I ride in has a zillion miles of woods and sand roads..... I'm not sure what these tree huggers who want these laws passed are after ?? And who the hell they think they are to ask for such a stupid thing ?? And what purpose is a state park if no one but hikers can use it ?? Some years back they made it so only registered bikes could ride there..... OK so we now have a harder and harder time getting bikes we can plate but we all do it.... I'm hoping the AMA helps put a stop to this totally asinine proposal...
This is happen across the world. The greens, weak local and state goernments capitulatiing to tree huggers who are 100% not prepared to compromise. We see the same mentality on our snow fields and coastal areas to. Its a look but don't touch and certainly don't enjoy mentality, that is prevailing at present. PS thought your letter was excellent
Thanks for posting Jersey Woods....I too enjoy riding and exploring the pine barrens. We have spent many a day just riding and looking for the many forgotten towns that existed centuries ago out there. I am appalled but not surprised that nitwits in Trenton would propose such a change in the definition of off road vehicle. I have submitted my opposition to this to DEP, my representatives, with a copy sent to the fat man, as well. Thanks for bringing it to light.
That is a really cool place to ride enduros and just explore with out a doubt... I rode with a bunch of guys in the Brenden T forest today and one of the things I noticed again was the dam beer cans and general BS litter on the dirt roads... I can guarantee that stuff did not come from one us..It led me to wonder if they succeed with this..... Who will they blame for the destruction of the dirt roads and all of the litter ?? How about laying the blame where it rests ??? Lack of supervision on the part of the state for not enforcing the rules to all of users of the parks including the hikers and off road trucks... They all should be responsible too...
Local riders should look into some of the attempted restrictions on watercraft in parks. The short story is, if you pay the same registration fee as every other motorcycle/car they can not exclude you under the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution.
I'm sure that will come into play.... On another note ............. I spoke to my local legislator on the phone today.... And she is a clueless as the rest of us as to the language in this proposal... She can't figure out what these sponsors a babbling about and they have spoken to some people in Trenton for clarification...She has promised to call me back in a week or so with what they have learned..... I guess the saga will continue......
HAHA and this coming from an eastener. Thankfully the registry was cancelled, but theres still a huge uproar due to the random shootings in Toronto.
I've never understood how some numnuts, some ego driven personality, some narrow minded people get a business title and think they are the anointed ones and are out the fix the world as they see it ... Do these people not understand their title does not make them a god and they might be abusing many people rights in their quest to fix something that may not be broke? These people are actually small and think even smaller ...Hidden agendas often drive this type of person ... In the olden days, burning them out worked best ... today, ... I hope your letter does not fall on deaf or biased ears ..Best of luck to the riders in NJ ...
It looks like the battle is really heating up.... Several clubs including mine are on the offensive and are just not gonna take this lying down.... And for that matter we should not have to.... There is a survey /questioneer circulating that demonstrates how much money riders in New Jersey spend on off road bikes/riding enduros/ hare scrambles/travel to events/maintenance/food/lodging and fuel. The number is estimated at 4 million annually.... That is a LOT of money for riders who mainly ride on weekends.... It only goes to show how deep our love for the ride in the woods goes and will be part of the argument that were not a bunch dirt bags .... There is also a huge document prepared by another club that lays out all of facts about enduros and the history of riding them in south Jersey since the 30's.... There are maps that illustrate how little land we use in the forest down here compared to the other uses that cause far more damage then our bikes do. . It also demonstrates the damage done by hikers on trails and the litter they leave behind.... It asks state officials for fair treatment for all users.
Just remember that a phone call & actual written letters get far more attention than emails from individuals... and emails from individuals count much more than online petitions. Of course, depending on the situation, local press & TV stations can be your friend.
A 40 mile 4 foot wide trail has a total disturbed area of 19.4 acres. So if you assume some kind of loop with an average diameter of 15 miles the area inside the loop is ~100,000 acres. So total disturbed area is 1/50 of 1%. But obviously we are destroying the integrity of our environment. Now balance that with all the work local groups do to maintain these trails and what it really comes down to is the entrenched bureaucrat using the excuse of environmentism to avoid being professional and representing what is truly best for all concerned.
You always hate to see lawyers involved but sometimes it comes to that .... Good luck on keeping your riding areas ....
Good points here, with numbers so it should be easy to understand for ~all ...But even in this case, you will meet hard-headed people who will be entrenched in their own ideas and agendas and will not see both sides of any issue ... Sometimes words like stupid, self-serving, one-sided, own agendas, do apply. Myself, I've never thought motorcycles destroy the earth, or any area we ride at, on any scale that is any more detrimental than most anything man does to this planet ..
A formula similar to that has been adopted to our argument.... It also adds were using some man made fire cuts as parts of our loops.... These fire cuts are narrow trails that are cleared by the forest service .... With that being said... How are we wrecking any thing ?? I can't agree any more... It's people who have influence and do things because they can... And it's these same people who drive down the road and toss garbage out their windows.... Water bottles.... Cig butts... Gum wrappers... The whole deal... Yet they claim to care about the environment.. Yeah right..
people are ignorant. a little story on how rules/ordinaces/laws/codes get passed. pouring a garage floor a week ago my dad goes you know in springfield the first 4 inches has to have a slant of 1/2" down to the driveway towards the road. really? i said. yup a number of years ago one of the springfield board memebers had their garage door froze shut during a freeze/thaw cycle in winter. raised hell and its now a code. find whos raising hell about it and get them removed/voted out or whatever you can to cut the head off that ugly ass snake. good luck with the fight!!
