The Independent Motorcycle Aftermarket

By Bob Kay

How did we get here? Two years ago, during a broadcast of a Cycle Source Shop Talk, I was asked to lead an initiative to protect the rights of owners of independent motorcycle businesses. At the time there were concerns about everything from internet competition to over regulation, and these small business owners were starting to feel the pressure.

A gathering of sixty independent business owners during Daytona Bike Week 2023 affirmed their ongoing concerns and the need to move forward. A Facebook page was started to share those concerns, and a second meeting during the Sturgis Rally made it clear that, although something needed to be done to protect the aftermarket businesses, we did not have the time, funds and in most cases, the expertise to start a new grassroots advocacy organization.

Cycle Source magazine publisher Chris Callen, a dedicated supporter of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, and I attended the MRF’s annual Meeting of the Minds in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. From what we learned from general sessions and workshops, the situation was even more threatening than it had been the year before when we returned to Daytona in 2024.

The MRF was ahead of the game with their 2024 legislative strategy that included Right-to-Repair/Modify, internal combustion engine protection, quality fuel availability, along with a list of related items already shared with Congress and motorcyclists.

The Independent Motorcycle Aftermarket (IMA) website was up and relentlessly pushing information about the threats to motorcycling and our businesses. The MRF was leading the way in Washington with years of grassroots advocacy including their annual lobbying day, Bikers Inside the Beltway.

Attending the ABATE of South Dakota’s Whitewood “picnic” provided more informative than any picnic I had ever attended. I went home with the commitment to spread the word about the MRF’s upcoming Meeting of the Minds in St. Louis.

The Meeting of the Minds 40^th Anniversary was a home run, and I did not hesitate to share what I learned at the meeting of the Texas Council of Clubs and Independents Legislative Weekend. Although the MRF and their supporting SMROs and motorcycle clubs have a strong ground game that they are winning on Capitol Hill, sadly the message of threats to our industry is just now being acknowledged by the influencers and upper echelons of the motorcycle aftermarket industry.

The name chosen — Independent Motorcycle Aftermarket — came from the realization it was not just independent dealers that were being threatened but every business associated with the motorcycling lifestyle we love. Aftermarket shops, custom bike builders, parts and accessory manufacturers, apparel companies, rally vendors, rally promotors, and right down to the bikers building one-offs in their garages.

The sale of parts on the internet is not going away. However, unless the aftermarket motorcycle industry stands collectively with the Motorcycle Riders Foundation — the one organization that has always had our backs and the backs of all motorcyclists — we are doomed to watching our industry and lifestyle fade like a well-worn print of a 1960’s biker movie.

The original equipment manufacturers are going to do everything to protect their investment and their shareholders. The OEMs will stand by and do little to support the efforts to pass right-to-repair/modify legislation. If deemed “in their best interest,” they may lend support to the protection of the internal combustion engine and even help in the fight to guarantee the availability of quality fuel. However, I do not expect anyone outside the aftermarket and motorcyclist’s rights advocacy groups to stand up against the end-of-life directives coming out of Europe.

I have dealt with SEMA and the Motorcycle Industry Council in the past. Repeatedly their history demonstrates that fair representation for independent dealers and custom bike builders comes second or third to the primary objective of increasing their membership base.

When the MRF leadership was approached to help establish an affiliate aftermarket motorcycle organization they welcomed us with open arms. They even asked me to help write legislation to address the issues affecting the aftermarket industry. Not only did they help but they threw their entire organization behind the IMA by repeatedly speaking up on our behalf in Washington, D.C. The MRF’s commitment to the IMA was evident during Bikers Inside the Beltway as hundreds of bikers visited members of Congress carrying the IMA agenda. The MRF carries the IMA agenda because it is the agenda of all motorcyclists.

The Independent Motorcycle Aftermarket working with the MRF is the only organization representing the health and future of independent shop owners, custom bike builders, along with parts and accessory manufacturers. The aftermarket “influencers” were invited to a meeting in Las Vegas (see article in this issues of the American Bikers Journal). Those in attendance were presented with a real-world view of the job the MRF is doing in Washington and what the independent aftermarket must do to support that endeavor.

To “support that endeavor” the aftermarket industry and key influencers can no longer give kudos to the individuals and organization carrying the ball for us on Capitol Hill and expect the work to get done without financial support. The right-to-repair/modify, availability of quality fuel for our engines, and protecting the internal combustion engine are only three items on our “Top Ten.” Motorcyclists’ rights advocates select a legislative agenda that includes the agenda of the IMA.  It’s time for the aftermarket return that support. 

With the changes being made by the new administration in Washington, we are provided with a unique opportunity to pass long-reaching legislation that will ensure the future of motorcycling.  We must use this opportunity to take motorcycling beyond the next ten years that many regulatory agencies and state governors wish for our demise.

We got here because of a commitment to overcome our complacency and the misguided belief that it could never happen to an entire industry. To survive we must do the one thing we should have done years ago – unite and work together with the one organization that has always been there for us. The MRF and now the IMA, have the backs of all motorcyclists and the aftermarket industry.

Thanks for your membership and support.