Why is it Important?

by Steve Panten

Why is it important for motorcyclists to care about protecting combustion engines in vehicles and other equipment? Why is it important for motorcyclists to care about expansion of ethanol in the fuel, or to care about reducing fatalities, or protecting our ability to repair our own vehicles? Why do we need people to respond to “Call to Actions” or to have relationships with their legislators?

Motorcycling as we know it is in jeopardy. We need to stay on top of everything that could possibly affect our choice of transportation or our lifestyle. With the push for advancing technologies in how vehicles operate on the roads and what fuel source is powering these vehicles, trying to protect motorcycling as we know it is becoming increasingly difficult.

ABATE of Wisconsin only sends out a Call to Action when a piece of legislation is being drafted that could negatively impact motorcycling either now, or long term. A simple bill draft that does not seem to affect us has to be scrutinized as to how it could affect us in the future. Take for instance our most recent Call to Action that asked you to contact your legislator to oppose a bill draft being circulated that would require new gas stations to only install tanks capable of dispensing E25. The EPA states that it is illegal to use any ethanol blend greater than E10 in a motorcycle. If our legislators are discussing the possibility that all gas in the future will be E25, where will we get the only gas that is legal for us to use? It is very important to understand that ABATE of Wisconsin is not opposed to the expansion of ethanol in gas, but we are going to fight to protect having E10 or less for our motorcycles. Requiring all stations to use tanks that can handle E25 is setting up these stations to no longer sell E10 or less. What is the goal of drafting a piece of legislation like this if it’s not to eventually eliminate lower, or no ethanol fuels?

The vision to ban the sale of combustion engines is real. Governor Evers has a plan to eliminate the sale of any vehicle or equipment with fuel emissions by 2050, and to have all modes of transportation be electronically connected. What is going to happen to the motorcycle that we currently own that runs on gas? You will see gas stations transitioning to electric vehicle charging stations and no longer selling gas. This is all real, and discussions are happening on building large scale vehicle charging stations on freeways in the state. I am concerned about being able to purchase gas for my newer motorcycle, but what about all the antique motorcycles? Is gas going to be available and is it going to be priced so high that we aren’t going to be able to afford to ride our current motorcycles?

ABATE of Wisconsin is not opposed to the sale of electric vehicles and equipment. A consumer should be able to purchase a vehicle, or piece of equipment, with a power source appropriate for their needs. Now this could be a motorcycle, UTV, chainsaw, or even a large tractor. As someone who travels around the country exploring as much of it as I can, I do not know what kind of restrictions an electric motorcycle will have for me to do that, or at what cost. A consumer should be able to do their own research to determine what is best for their needs and protecting a business’s ability to sell what their consumers want is what made this country free.

With new technologies being used in vehicles, repairing them is becoming more difficult. Manufacturers are starting to say that you’re required to take your vehicle to a dealership for repairs. What if the dealer is booked for a month or more? Even though you have the skills needed to be able to repair your own vehicles, you will not be to get the tools, or parts, necessary to do the repairs. Some motorcycle dealerships have already stopped working on older motorcycles and do not even have parts available to repair it yourself. How are we supposed to get our motorcycle back on the road? Right to Repair is a term that you have probably heard from me before and it’s something that we will continue to fight for so we can make repairs without going to a dealership. Personally, I have an independent mechanic that I know and trust to handle any repairs that I do not have the tools or time to do myself. How is this going to affect his business? If I can’t get my bike in to the dealership because they are booked out over a month, I would like to know that my local bike mechanic will have access to the tools and parts he needs to get me back on the road.

Reducing motorcycle fatalities is something that the ABATE of Wisconsin Board of Directors spend significant time on. Fatalities have increased to a point where the State Department of Transportation is starting to say that they need to investigate reversing the trend. There are many things on the table that could happen and luckily, we have a great working relationship with the DOT, so we are involved in the discussions. At some point, if we do not reduce the fatalities, something drastic is going to happen. The trend needs to change so please, take care of yourself and your brothers and sisters.

An ABATE Call to Action is a call for help from members and supporters. The officers of this organization can only do so much to protect motorcycling as we know it, so we need your help too. Completing the call to action is an easy way to do just that. The first time you respond it can be done in a couple minutes and every action item after that takes less than a minute to do.

At the Annual Meeting in Stevens Point this month, we are going to develop our legislative agenda for next year. We are going to talk about what is important to motorcyclists in the state and what needs to happen to protect that. Some things might need legislative action in Madison, some might just need a conversation with a government agency, and some things might be a marketing plan but either way, here is your chance to be part of these discussions. The Legislative Committee will be meeting on Sunday and any member in good standing is invited to be part of the discussion. Let’s figure out why it is important together and thank you for your help in creating a safe and enjoyable environment for motorcycling in Wisconsin.

That’s It,

Steve