The Roaring 20’s weren’t named because of the proliferation of motorcycles and everything that comes with them, but it would have been apt.
That decade brought the end of the motordromes and the begining of board racing, the Indian Scout, the Ner-a-car (like a proto-Bergman), leather bike gear, girder fork suspension, the BMW R32, Moto Guzzi, the Brough Superior SS100, overhead cams and, er, scooters
It also saw theAMA (American Motorcycle Association) officially established with the slogan “An Organized Minority Can Always Defeat an Unorganized Majority.” Still relevant today.
When the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) was dissolved after The Great War, the Motorcycle & Allied Trades Association (M&ATA) was formed. M&ATA began registering riders in 1919, and by early 1924, it claimed to have about 10,000 members. In May of 1924, the directors proposed to create the “American Motorcycle Association” as a division of the M&ATA. The new AMA would control rider registration and activities, issue sanctions for national events, and serve motorcycle industry members.
The registered M&ATA riders were transferred as AMA charter members, while individual AMA membership dues were set at $1 per year.
The official ratification of the AMA became effective on this day in 1924 and they’re still going strong.
