MRF Rep Report

Have you ever had to sacrifice and take your vehicle to a motorcycle event instead of riding your motorcycle there? If you have, that’s dedication! Does it sound hypocritical? At first, maybe. But it happens for several reasons, and it is what it is. Usually, it’s because you have more stuff to haul than you can fit on your bike, like yard signs or a pop-up canopy. Sometimes it’s because of really bad weather.

We weren’t surprised that North Dakota threw a snowstorm at us on our way to Heartland STEAM. That’s not unusual for ND in April. It gave us more stories to tell and compare. It kept a few people away with flight cancellations. But it definitely made all the hugs when we all got there safely, feel that much stronger!

The Heartland Seminar to Educate and Motivate is a weekend packed with so much knowledge and excitement, it’s hard to describe. I truly hope everyone in a leadership position in this organization attends at least one STEAM conference. Some of my key takeaways this time were not legislative related.

For example, 45% of all corn grown in the U.S. is used for ethanol. That’s a significant amount of corn taken out of our food supply. I expect you probably already knew this, but the only reason E-15 and higher is cheaper than regular gasoline is because it is government subsidized. Currently, that is 45 cents per gallon. So, yes, it is more expensive to produce.

Also, Tesla vehicles currently utilize eight cameras (including an in-cabin camera) to detect hazards and assist with self-driving, along with crash detection and recording. They also use ultra sonic sensors to detect objects that are near your vehicle. The Sentry feature is designed to protect a Tesla from theft and will start recording if someone tries to break it, or even just gets too close and triggers the sensors. While this may sound helpful, know that the audio and video recorded is property of Tesla, and not the owner of the vehicle. So next time you are making out in the car, or walking around in your garage naked when your spouse drives in…just remember…you are on camera! You can search funny Tesla recordings on You Tube for your viewing entertainment. You can thank me later!

And if that wasn’t enough entertainment, Hardtail’s “test” on how committed you are to your SSMRO (in our case, ABATE of WI), told me that I have “Freudian psychological issues”, a “defective volunteer gene” and am probably single or soon to be. Yikes! I’ll have to research Freud a little more, but I’m certainly guilty of the last two. But I felt better after Seven “bragged” that he got an even higher score than I did. Best of luck, Cathy! If you were at our last Officer’s Training, you may remember that little exercise.

I know some people shy away from conferences because they don’t want to sit and be lectured at all day. I can assure you, the conferences that ABATE and the MRF put on are never boring. And the conversations and networking in the evenings create lifelong friendships.

That is why I love this biker way of life!

Stay vigilant, my friends!

Jen

Jen Abraham

ABATE of WI

Board of Directors

MRF State Rep