MRF Rep Report

Congratulations to ABATE of WI! Not only for our 50th anniversary but for an outstanding representation at Meeting of the Minds! We had 20 members in St. Louis and once again, we brought home plenty of awards. This shows once again that ABATE of WI is one of the leading SMROs in the country.

Our state secretary for many years, lovingly known as Autie ABATE, Marlene Bautch, was inducted into the MRF Hall of Fame and Twit was there to accept her nomination. Polack from 1H, being 1 of 6 members in attendance at this year’s MOTM that was also at the very first one 40 years ago, received the “Old Timers” Award. Cathy Dial received the Deb Butitta Member of the Year award, along with being the #1 recruiter of new members in the country. Outstanding! Cathy and I were both in the Top 10 in the country for overall membership recruitment. ABATE of WI also received awards for having the most overall members and the most sustaining members in the country. Lastly, Dave Dwyer received his 2nd retirement clock from Hardtail. We wish you all the best Dave!

With Dave stepping down as an Assistant State Rep, we are again looking for some motivated individuals to join our in-state team. The basic expectations of an Assistant Rep are to represent the Motorcycle Riders Foundation at as many motorcycle related meetings and events as possible, stay current on the MRF’s legislative agenda, along with new membership recruitment and retention of existing members. We have a great team already and have all the resources to help you be successful. We are especially focused on growing our reach in the Western part of the state and the Northwoods. Please reach out if you would like to join our team!

There’s a lot of scary legislation and regulations coming down the pipe aimed at eliminating internal combustion engines. Most of it is being done by creating emissions standards that no internal combustion engine (ICE) can meet. It’s not just California. 16 states have joined on to meet the California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards requiring zero-emissions light duty vehicles, including Minnesota. The CEO of Harley Davidson has made the announcement that its long-term plan is to go all-electric. They are a majority owner of LiveWire and they believe that the LiveWire is the gateway bike for the younger generation to get into motorcycling.

Joining the Independent Motorcycle Aftermarket (IMA) council is the best way for independent shops and individuals to strengthen the right to repair and modify motorcycles and motorcycle engines by independent dealers. The IMA’s goal is to protect the ICE and the bike builders and shops that work on them. Most dealers won’t work on an older bike and aren’t interested in aftermarket parts. Having the parts and technology available to modify our bikes the way we want, when we want, is part of our lifestyle.

If you want more information about supporting the MRF or IMA, you can reach out to me via text, phone, or email. My contact info is on the back page of this newsletter.

Also, the MRF has recently updated our website. Check out the new platform. It’s pretty cool! www.MRF.org.

Jen

ABATE of WI

Board of Directors

MRF State Rep