Nebraska is one of five states considering Right to Repair laws that would require companies to provide manuals and parts so that people could fix their own stuff, or get their stuff fixed by independent service centers, and the lobby groups for ATVs and motorcycles are pissed.
They’ve written to Nebraska State Senator Lydia Brasch, demanding that motorcycles, trikes and ATVs be exempted from the law, because it would be too dangerous to let anyone but the manufacturer work on a bike.
There’s no disputing that bad repairs are dangerous, and that’s true whether we’re talking about toasters, light-switches, plumbing, or motorcycles. If a repair shop botches your toaster repair and your house burns down, you might be able to sue them for negligence. But the law doesn’t ban third party technicians from fixing your toaster, it doesn’t ban you from fixing your own pipes, and it most certainly shouldn’t ban motorcycle owners and mechanics from fixing and modifying bikes.
Indeed, motorcycle owners have a proud tradition of improving on and fixing their own bikes that’s as old as motorcycles themselves.
Won’t someone please think of the bikers?
[Cory Doctorow/EFF]