A Japan In Need

A Japan in Need

UP FRONT

Mark Hoyer

WE ARE SMALL COMPARED TO NATURE'S worst. But human will and industry exert their own powerful counterforce. Witness with me, moto brothers and sisters, our family member in the town of Onagawa, in the Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan.

This photo of a Japanese man trying to recover his Harley-Davidson “Shovelpan” was taken about 10 days after the 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. It was one of the first hopefitl images I’d seen, and it underlined the strength and resiliency of the human spirit, particularly that of motorcyclists.

Up to the point that this photo appeared in my inbox, all I’d seen was a series of horrible pictures and videos showing devastation in the wake of the disaster. I’m a reserve firefighter in my community and have seen and worked on some small-scale disasters like wildland fires, floods and debris flows. I have watched bad situations get worse in a hurry, and seen how small our greatest efforts to combat natural forces can be. But observing one par-

ticular video captured by Japanese television gave me a much greater appreciation for the true scale of nature’s power. The camera started on street level, with water just inches deep running up roads and sidewalks. In only six minutes, water level had risen above the first story. A huge building floated by and cars bobbed around like toys.

As of this writing, the official death toll stands at 11,257. Another 16,344 people remain missing. And the collateral disaster of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown still hasn’t been contained.

The Big Four, of course, sprung right into action, with sizable donations to aid recovery and relief. Yamaha donated hundreds of generators, electric bicycles, thousands of bottles of water and meals, and initiated a monetary donation campaign among its employees. Suzuki offered similar aid, sending small trucks and other supplies. Kawasaki Heavy Industries rolled out 100 million yen ($1.2 million) plus a similar value of hard goods, including motorcycles, equipment and “crushing machines.” Honda contributed 300 million yen ($3.5 million), as well as other materials like generators, food, etc.

Some motorcycle production was halted or limited, and the longer-term effects on the supply chain for parts or new motorcycles isn’t clear.

But because of all the industry affected by the quake, there has been a huge disruption in the larger economy. GM halted some production in the U.S. due to a lack of transmissions from Japanese supplier Aisin Seiki Co. Japanese carmakers slowed or stopped production here and in Japan.

And it won’t stop there. Disruption of such a large part of Japan’s great industrial volume reverberates throughout the world. KTM, Triumph, Harley-Davidson, Victory and many other makers rely on Japanese parts and assemblies from forks to throttle bodies to those ECUs that have become so critical to our favorite machines. Even Royal Enfield in India uses Keihin EFI.

Which is why U.S. companies also stepped forward with aid. The HarleyDavidson Foundation contributed $250,000, and The Motor Company’s subsidiary in Japan started a local relief fund and has been sending supplies to the devastated areas.

Victory’s parent company, Polaris, made a $100,000 donation to the American Red Cross.

What it boils down to is that a Japan in need is a world in need. We as motorcyclists have a peculiarly large debt to the Japanese people for the technical and economic contributions they have made, and continue to make, to our sport. You can do something in their time of need. Visit the American Red Cross at www. redcross.org to make a donation. If you’d like to check out other forms of relief, try Charity Navigator (www.charitynaviga tor.org) or the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance (www.bbb.org/us/ charity). Both list legitimate organizations to which you can contribute.

Let’s get Japan back on the road so we can all ride easier. □