AMA Honors Zero and Scot Harden with Bessie Stringfield Award

The American Motorcyclist Association has bestowed a special recognition award to Zero Motorcycles and its Vice President of Marketing, Hall-of-Famer Scot Harden, for their work in attracting new riders and the positive impact they’ve delivered to mainstream media.

Harden (pictured above from our recent Zero FX dirt riding review) and Zero were awarded the AMA Bessie Stringfield Award which recognizes individuals who have been instrumental in bringing emerging markets to motorcycling. The award is named after 2002 AMA Hall of Fame inductee Bessie Stringfield, the first African-American woman to ride solo across the United States and a civilian motorcycle dispatch rider for the army in World War II.

Riding the 2014 Zero FX in Scot Harden’s Backyard

The AMA Board of Directors decided to honor Zero with the award for its work in advancing the electric motorcycle segment with its growing lineup of models. Previous AMA Bessie Stringfield Award winners include Mark-Hans Richer, Harley-Davidson‘s chief marketing officer, former U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and Rita Coombs, the matriarch of Grand National Cross Country racing.

“The American Motorcyclist Association does a tremendous job protecting rider’s rights and advocating for the sport we love so much. It’s a thrill and an honor to be recognized by such an esteemed organization. Our passionate and dedicated team at Zero Motorcycles continues to work towards building the best electric motorcycles ever conceived,” says Harden, who was inducted to the AMA Hall of Fame in 2008. “The Zero design and engineering team have developed a line of all-electric motorcycles that are great looking, economical to own, easy on the environment and most important of all a blast to ride. The motorcycle industry is always growing, always advancing and I am thrilled to be a part of a team that is making such positive impact.”

[Source: Zero]

By Dennis Chung