I Just Want to Celebrate Another Day…

Executive Report by John Reblin

Most people I know celebrate an anniversary of some sort. Getting married, 46 years for me, how long you were at a job, counting the days until you can retire or find another job that the labor maybe isn’t as hard or not as monotonous as watching paint dry.

Birthdays are another type of anniversary that we closely monitor, at least enough to keep peace in the family if you don’t get a card or something. Not that I missed any, I have had to stop at the gas station for a flower and a card on the way home. But I know someone who did forget, and it was some cold shoulder and hot tongue until he figured out what went wrong and corrected it.

Or even the passing of a loved one. I know I remember what I was doing, the last conversations, where I was, and every detail when my ma and dad passed away. It is something you don’t need to write down or have to think back and try to remember.

Another anniversary we are celebrating is ABATE of Wisconsin’s 50th Anniversary. Just think what motorcycling would be like if ABATE of Wisconsin and the MRF were not around. How and what we would be riding or even would there be riding our loved motorcycles. I remember the rallies at the Capitol after the repeal, just as a reminder that we were watching what was going on and could react. The push for legislation to ban the Japanese sport bikes that were packing huge horsepower, making those in the government think, Hey, we ought to reconsider allowing them here for us to ride and possibly crash. Things we got involved in like teaching Share The Road in schools and awareness tools like yard signs, billboards, coasters and other doo dads that remind people to look for motorcycles. Things like our peer-to-peer discussions to reduce alcohol related crashes, urging riders to take rider education courses, and to ride their own ride.

But we have a lot of work ahead of us. Making sure we have safe and legal fuel choices. We don’t care that they want to add more and more corn to the gas to raise the percentage of ethanol, we just want the pumps at the same station to sell safe fuel for our motorcycles.

We want to make sure we can get our motorcycles worked on by someone, or if you have the skills, by yourself. That the tools and information to do those repairs is available to you along with the parts to repair it.

We want to be sure that the autonomous vehicles recognize motorcycles and will keep a safe space around us. And apparently these types of vehicles are failing at doing this and NHTSA agrees.

We don’t want to be profiled because we ride a bike or maybe go to establishments that the police are suspicious of for no reason. We feel we should be able to enter the place of business with our leathers and if you have them, colors or any other patches or support items.

Of course, we want our information that is being grabbed and sold by the manufacturers to stop, unless we say ok to it. Why should we allow the manufacturer to make money, more than they make on the sale of the vehicle, by taking information they collect while we are operating the vehicle and then sell it to data collection agencies.

Let’s not forget about the issues with long grass along the roads blocking vision, overpopulation of deer, and making sure everyone on the road, car truck and motorcycle, is licensed, insured, and operating within their skill level and not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

We have lots of work ahead of us. Let’s enjoy the weekend, catch up with old friends, make new friends, enjoy a good meal together, tell some stories and jokes and relax.

See you at the anniversary party. Be loud, be proud!

Before the 50th Anniversary I am heading down to St Louis for a weekend with other Freedom Fighters to see what is working and not working in their state. Steve Panten and I will be working together along with the other states to set the legislative agenda for next year on the national level. And again, it will be reconnecting with old and new, to learn something and to share what is going on here in Wisconsin. Also of course, the induction ceremony for Marlene Bautch into the MRF Hall of Fame.

So, lots to do and not a lot of free time to do it for the next couple weeks with this, work, and things going on at home. I want to get some miles on yet this year before the snow flies so maybe some of the work items and maybe some yard work may get shoved off to another time.

Ride Your Own Ride,

 John