August 2024

by Gary Klinker

It has been a busy month for Safe Rider and for me. The classes are filling into October. By the time you read this the BRC2 class for some of the ABATE Board members will be completed. Thanks to those who stepped up to take part in the class. I’m sure everyone learned something and now they are more equipped to promote training to all of our members. We are making a more direct effort to promote ABATE membership to all of our graduating BRC students by putting the brochures in their hand, along with their Completion Cards and talking about our internal combustion engine issues, E-10 or lower ethanol use, and autonomous vehicle dangers.

I want to thank MOSAC for their work to put on the Training Seminar in Waukesha in June. It was very informative and interesting. That weekend was followed by Shawn and me, along with our friend John, going to South Dakota for a week of riding the Black Hills. It doesn’t get any better. After getting back from that trip we attended Summer Hummer and got to spend time with a lot of members we have not seen for a long time. We were also adopted by Region 1H. Thanks to all of you for the hospitality and to Wiener for the morning coffee.

We had a bit of excitement in Hill City while we were in South Dakota. The three of us had parked on main street in a spot just ahead of a nice new Chevy 2500 pickup. When we got back from a walk down the street, we found an older GMC pickup with the front end smashed in badly and John’s bike under the front bumper of the new Chevy. The old truck hit the back of the new one and slid it five or six feet into the bike. Another two inches closer and it would have taken down all three of our bikes. All turned out OK. The bike was ridable after we extracted it from the Chevy. For those of you heading to Sturgis be aware that US 385 was closed just north of Pactola Lake. The detour to get from Deadwood to Hill City and beyond, goes all the way through Rapid City on 44 to Highway 16. Hopefully, they will come up with a better solution for the Rally but if not, it will be a mess. Be very careful always.

It is not too early to get registered for Meeting of the Minds in St. Louis. Get your room as early as possible. As always it will be a very motivating great time.

We are all looking forward to the ABATE 50th Anniversary in October. Plan now to be there. Most of us won’t make the 100th Anniversary, so be sure to get to this one.

Ride Safe, 

Gary