Motorcycle manufacturers are trying harder than ever to please customers, and the result is higher quality bikes and happier owners.

Overall satisfaction with the motorcycle ownership experience has increased for a seventh consecutive year to a record-high level, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Motorcycle Competitive Information Study, and each of the study's five criteria -- product, quality, cost of ownership, sales, and service -- have improved, with sales and service showing the biggest improvements.

"The result of increased competition is that the quality and performance of bikes is at an all-time high," Power’s Todd Markusic explains, "and dealers are paying much more attention to their customers' sales and service experiences."

First-time buyers comprise 22% of all new motorcycle purchases, and with the average age of owners increasing from 40 to 47 since 2001, it is important for manufacturers to focus on younger Gen X and Y demographics to ensure continued growth in the market.

Now in its 12th year, the annual survey measures owner satisfaction with new motorcycles and fielded responses from nearly 8,000 owners between August and October 2009, focusing on 2009 model year bikes.

New-ish car and bike owners can take that $10-12 you’ve been setting aside to pay for a state safety inspection and go buy something nice for yourself or your vehicle. Under legislation that took effect on New Year’s Day in Missouri, vehicles five years old and newer will no longer need an inspection when renewing license plates.

That means in 2010, 2005 model year and newer autos, including cars, trucks and motorcycles, will be exempt. Models from 2006 won’t need their first inspection until 2012. Previously, vehicles are exempt from safety inspections for their model year and the year after that.

Inspections are performed at thousands of repair shops across the state and cost $12 for cars and trucks and $10 for motorcycles. The Missouri Department of Revenue, which manages vehicle registration, estimates that 650,000 vehicles will be affected by the exemption.

Motorcyclists in Michigan would be able to buy a permit to ride without a helmet if a newly-introduced bill becomes law.

It would apply to riders who are 21 years or older, have been licensed to operate a motorcycle for at least two years or completed a safety class, and have at least $20,000 in health insurance. The $100-a-year permit would make helmets optional. Any passenger over 21 years riding with a permit holder wouldn't need a helmet.

State Representative Richard LeBlanc (D-Westland) said wearing a helmet should be a personal choice. LeBlanc told Capitol News Service of the Macomb Daily newspaper that he's been involved with the issue since the 1970s when he started riding a motorcycle, adding that he introduced the bill because he believes that wearing a helmet should be a personal choice.

The bill is pending in the House Committee on Regulatory Reform, though ABATE of Michigan reportedly does not support the legislation and is dedicated to working with their new governor to repeal the existing helmet law with no fees, additional insurance or stickers.

Michigan riders, spearheaded by ABATE and the Confederation of Clubs of Michigan, succeeded in passing helmet repeal legislation twice since 2006 only to have both bills vetoed by outgoing Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

Members of at least 21 of the state's “bikie gangs” are preparing to sue the 53 pubs, clubs, hotels and cocktail bars from Wollongong to The Entrance where they are banned if they turn up for a drink wearing club colors or their trademark bikie jewelry.

They claim the bars are breaching the Anti-discrimination Act, the Human Rights Commission Act and probably the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which has been adopted by Australia.

After gauging reaction from the bars, the United Motorcycle Council NSW plans to take action on behalf of all the clubs. The council was formed earlier this year as a reaction to government efforts to ban motorcycle clubs through the strictest anti-gang laws in the world.

Motorcycle exports from Japan have slumped by over 50%, according to shocking new figures released by the industry watchdog.

In October 2009 global exports of motorcycle from Japan were recorded at 41,143 units, compared with the 90,702 units total recorded for the same month of the previous year. The 54.6% export decrease is the twenty-fifth consecutive month that export figures have dropped, according to a recent JAMA report.

The total value of motorcycles exported for October was 334.12 million U.S. dollars including 229.94 million U.S. dollars for vehicles and 14.18 million U.S. dollars for parts. This is a decrease of 263.09 million U.S. dollars or 44.1 percent, as compared with 597.21 million U.S. dollars recorded for the same month of the previous year, the report stated.