The Future of Motorcycling and Our Way of Life

by Bill Roberge

A motorcycle just isn’t a machine. It’s a culture, it’s who we are, who our friends are. Could this be coming to an end? We are well on the path to self-driving cars. Look at the car ads on TV. A nice family is driving down a busy highway at 70 miles per hour. Kids and wife in the car, then the driver takes his hands off of the steering wheel to relax and enjoy the ride. Maybe he’ll read a book as he travels. Some of these cars are the cars that are on the road with you today.

Have you heard of truck platooning? This terminology means several tractor-trailer trucks electronically linked together with one driver in control in the lead truck. Currently a driver is in each joined truck just in case of a problem, but the time will come when it’s just one driver that controls them all. The next step will be controlling the truck by computer from an office somewhere else. One person possibly controlling several trucks.

There is also talk of eliminating combustion engines and the fossil fuels they burn. Some say all transportation should be electric in the future. Can ABATE of Wisconsin stop this progress? I think the answer is no. What we can do is have a voice in the design of these changes and make sure that we as motorcyclists fit in. So that we will still have a place on the road. The road we live for. All roads – not just some roads. ABATE of Wisconsin is keeping an eye on these changes and will fight for our rights. It will take all of us. That’s why membership is especially important at this time.

If you see one person on a corner holding up a sign and jumping up and down, you may think that person is some kind of a nut. But if you see 5,000 people standing on a corner, jumping up and down, you’ll take notice. We need members and we need them now. No one can recruit better than you can. Attend your regional meetings. attend Board meetings, read the newsletter. educate yourself to make sure that you know the facts. Start talking to people that ride. They’re not hard to find. They will generally have a motorcycle close by. Tell them what’s going on. Tell them if they join us, they will have a voice in their future. Again, the open road belongs to all of us.

When you talk to people about ABATE, make sure you tell them the whole story, not just the struggles we face in the future. Tell them about the successes we have had in the past, the things we have accomplished. Tell them about ABATE Acres and the things that they can do there. Talk about the Summer Hummer, regional events, rides, the friends you have made. We have so much to offer, we fall short of sharing this great organization with others. NOW is the time to start sharing. If people see your enthusiasm for ABATE, how could they not want to be part of it? When they do join, and they will, make them welcome. Good luck. Remember the road belongs to us.

ABATE IS YOU.

Bill