I'm an AMA life member. I don't always agree with their priorities, but I do appreciate all of their efforts to keep an eye out for us. They do a surprising amount of work protect individuals rights. They have lobbied for stiffer penalties for people that hit and/or kill a motorcyclist, they have helped with legal representation for folks that have been wronged, and they have held officials accountable for their votes and decisions. They did screw up road racing real bad, but to give them a little credit, they realized they weren't handling it correctly, so they sold the rights to DMG who who was supposed to know what they were doing. And again, a little too late, they realized that DMG wasn't driving the sport even further into the ground, so they pulled back the rights. Hopefully they keep a closer eye on it this time.
I like the magazine, and recently (last couple of years), they split the magazine into two magazines. One is focused on off-road, and one on street riding. Its not a great magazine, but it does have some info that you don't see in all of the other magazines.
Luckily (knock on wood), I have only had to use the roadside assistance once. I was in a car and broke down at midnight in Germantown. The folks on the phone were very nice and patient, but they weren't able to find a company that would come get me were I was. I was maybe 15 miles west of Dayton. Ultimately, I got a lift home and went back in the morning with a flatbed (anyone want to buy a 02 Protege 5 with a cracked head?). I was out a little bit, so I didn't hold it against them that they couldn't get a tow company to come get me. But, had I been in an area that I wasn't familiar with, I would have been less forgiving.