Product Review and Meeting of the Minds

by Gary Klinker

Our season for Safe Rider is over and it was very successful. I will have a full report next month. I know, I said that last month, but I have a lot more to cover this time. Shawn and I just returned from the 2020 Motorcycle Riders Foundation Meeting of the Minds in Indianapolis. As always, it was an amazing chance to see friends from around the country, and recharge enthusiasm for what we do. Along with all the other good workshop sessions, there were meetings of rider education professionals from around the country. Two riding demonstration/training events were also held. It is always good to see what challenges and successes that other states are experiencing. Sharing information is a big part of the benefit we derive from MOTM.

After the previous full week of riding the Black Hills, the ride to Indy was kind of flat and straight, but a ride is a ride and we had fun. The last hundred miles coming home in the rain did not even dampen the excitement of the weekend.

A big part of MOTM are the awards to individuals and states. In this case, Wisconsin really excelled. We have the most Sustaining Members and the most Individual members in the MRF of any of the states. If you do not belong to the MRF you should. They do amazing work for all riders in Washington DC and around the country. Wisconsin’s MRF State Rep, Jennifer Dewitz, was awarded the Top MRF Rep award-the best in the US. Congratulations Jen! The day before the award I was talking to Gary Sellers, a good friend from Ohio, who was active on the MRF board since the early ‘90s. I told him about our new rep who was doing such a good job for the MRF and ABATE of Wisconsin. The next day we all found out how good she was doing.

One of the highlights of the awards banquet is the induction of people to the MRF Freedom Fighters Hall of Fame. Again, Wisconsin came through. Dave Dwyer and I were both inducted. From my time as Executive Director, when I appointed Dave as our Legislative Director he has excelled in the rights movement. After many years serving ABATE of Wisconsin, he turned over the reins to another excellent Legislative Director-Steve Panten-and has moved to the MRF board.

I cannot express how humbling it was to be selected for the Hall of Fame. To be listed alongside of people that I have looked up to as heroes, many who have also been friends for many years, is an awesome experience. After 46 years since I first joined an MRO, and 32 years since getting into training riders, this is as cool as it gets. Thanks to everyone who has contributed in any way to my life in this movement-especially Shawn who has been by my side through all of it since 1976. What a ride!

Product Review
Recently Shawn got a new helmet. It came with the Pinlock system installed. For those of you not familiar with this, it is a clear insert for helmet face shields. They have a silicone seal around the edges of the insert. The idea is the same as a double pane window-it prevents fogging. My last helmet came with a Pinlock insert and the shield already had the pins installed to insert it. After reading the package directions and lawyer label I put it on a shelf. Bad move. After seeing hers I decided to pull mine off the shelf and try it. I’m here to tell you they work great. First, I rode to a class early one morning at 40 degrees, normally a fogged shield situation. Even mouth breathing hard I could not fog my shield. This week coming home from MOTM in rain it was amazing. Normally in rain I would need to crack the shield to keep it clear. This always causes rain to drip down the inside of the face shield. Now I can keep the shield down tight and keep the inside dry and fog free. Since using the system I have asked several people about them and got the same answer I had, “got one, never tried it.”

If you have one use it, if you order a new helmet get one, if you have a helmet you can get one. They are shield specific and are very easy to install-despite the instructions in the package. Look on You Tube or the Pinlock site for a video. I checked the price for an HJC common helmet. The price was about $35, probably cheaper on the net. Check them out if you are sick of looking through fog when you ride. It is a lot safer that way.

Ride safe,

Gary