History of the AMA
The AMA was founded in 1924 as the world’s premier member-driven motorcycling organization. It was derived from two organizations that came before it: the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) and the Motorcycle and Allied Trades Association (M&ATA).
The FAM and the M&ATA
The FAM was formed by the New York Motorcycle Club, in 1903, because of the apparent need for a national motorcyclist organization. The organization had a short 16-year stint, but in that time, they developed competition rules and rider classifications, dealt with restrictive ordinances in bigger cities, and handled funding and membership concerns.
The M&ATA was founded in 1916. In 1919 (when the FAM shut down), the M&ATA managed the former FAM racing responsibilities. In May of 1924, the directors of the M&ATA proposed to create the American Motorcycle Association to control rider registration and activities.
The official start date of the AMA was August 1, 1924, with the mission “promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling.”
The AMA To Date
Since its start in 1924, the AMA has gone from a national club to the only national organization dedicated to serving all of the motorcyclists of America. Today, the AMA is the largest member-based motorcycle advocacy organization in the world.
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