Auntie ABATE / “Cuz” Report

From the Editor

I had the opportunity in September to attend the 40^th gathering of the MRF’s Meeting of the Minds held in St. Louis, MO. Having been to several Meeting of the Minds, I kind of knew what to expect. We arrived in time to listen in on the State of the States report that is given as a prelude to the event and lets everyone know what is happening across the country regarding motorcyclist events and legislation. It is evident that we are all working on the same problems, but in different stages of the solutions. Enlightening.

My favorite part this year was the panel discussion that was led by various speakers relating to different areas that concern motorcyclists. These speakers were from the profiling project-something we are all concerned with; the IMA or independent shops industry-we all want to be able to continue to fix our own bikes or go to the shop of our choice for bike repairs and to be able to buy aftermarket parts; the automotive industry-what is the future of autonomous vehicles and can they see us? What about electric cars?; the MRF and how to keep being vigilant with upcoming legislation and how introduce new legislation that will affect motorcycling or motorcyclists can help keep us on the road; and the Harley Davidson lobbyist in Washington, DC that gave us their perspective on electric motorcycles and what will be happening in the future? The speakers were very informative, giving us their take on motorcycling today and how important it is to form a common bond with a united voice when trying to fight legislation and fight for our freedoms to stay on the road, as we now know it.

I was also impressed with the number of clubs that were represented at this conference. It is important to know that we are able to work together by having respect for each other and by being able to increase our power in numbers when going to bat with our legislators when trying to maintain our lifestyle.

The facilities that were provided at the hotel, as well as the food at the banquet, was very good. The MRF along with the hosting SMRO did a bang-up job at keeping the weekend organized and flowing. Thank you, St. Louis for being so gracious.

On another note, it was a privilege to be able to attend this conference when Wisconsin’s Marlene Bautch was inducted into the MRF’s Freedom Fighter Hall of  Fame.

And….it was announced that Meeting of the Minds 2026 will be held in Milwaukee. Plan on attending that one. It’s pretty close to home.

Betty