From the AMA:

You probably saw the headlines in newspapers across the country several weeks ago:

"High-Performance Motorcycles Contributing to High Death Toll."

"Supersport motorcycles lead the pack in death rates and claims costs."

"The New Motorcycles: Bigger, Faster, Deadlier."

And underneath those headlines, you—like many other Americans—read dire warnings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that sportbikes are much more dangerous than other types of motorcycles on the road.

Indeed, the IIHS claimed it had conducted research showing that three types of motorcycles—those that fit in categories it calls "supersport," "sport" and "unclad sport"—are so dangerous that serious action is required to deal with this issue.

What type of action? Here are the IIHS' own words on the subject:

"Short of banning superport and sport motorcycles from public roadways, capping the speed of these street-legal racing machines at the factory might be one way to reduce risk."

That's right—this powerful Washington-based group is talking about either banning or restricting entire classes of motorcycles. And when we hear words like that, we—like you—take notice.

Never mind, for a moment, that the alleged "research" behind this report doesn’t stand up to critical examination. What matters is that mainstream media outlets, which are unlikely to give this report a hard look, are already parroting the IIHS line, which means that we all need to be very concerned.

"This kind of flawed report, passed off as scientific research, has the potential to do great damage," says Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. "At the very least, it can create false perceptions we’ll have to fight for years. And at worst, it could lead to restrictive laws that have no basis in reality."

Read the whole thing here.

This isn't just about sportbikes. Congress tried to do this with UJMs in the early 80s but thankfully failed, due in part to swift action by the AMA.

No matter what kind of motorcycle you ride, you'd better make your voice heard against this plan.

WE'RE DISCUSSING THIS SUBJECT AT TWO-WHEELED TEXANS.