Summing up from Part One of this report, the helmet issue appears to be the primary point of contention between ABATE groups and sportbikers, with some also feeling that ABATE simply doesn’t concern itself with issues of concern to the sportbike community. Pursuing that point, I posed new questions to the national Sportbike Network (SBN) forum. (I’ll touch back in with the Colorado Sport Bike Club (CSBC) later.

For starters, I asked if someone could point me to anything that supports their claim that ABATE is anti-helmet. “Is it really ABATE itself, or are you perhaps speaking of some particular ABATE members?” I asked.

TwoColorShoe (SBN) pointed me to a flyer posted by the South Suburban Chapter of ABATE of Illinois for its upcoming “Helmet Roast.” Yes indeed, that poster shows helmets on weenie sticks being roasted over a fire. Curious, I emailed several officers of the chapter to see what they could tell me about the event. I received a response from Dennis Byron, who is the Activities Co-coordinator for the chapter. Dennis sent something written by another member, David Lynch, which he said is not an official response, just his own. David wrote:

As far as the Helmet Roast goes, this was an idea conceived for a chapter event to raise funds for the chapter and to celebrate the defeat of a mandatory helmet law that came out of nowhere over twenty years ago. The helmets roasting in the fire of the current flyer are an homage to tradition, where the original design was a tongue and cheek image of a biker roasting a helmet on a spit over a campfire.

Two others on the forum mentioned ABATE members who expressed outright anti-helmet opinions, and bimmerx2 (SBN) had this to say:

I don’t think one can separate the ‘organization’ from the people who make up that organization. ABATE itself is nothing more than a name for the group of people. If the majority of those people have an opinion then by definition the organization has that same opinion.

While I’m sure ABATE’s official stance is anti-helmet LAW the membership simply does not behave that way – they are anti-HELMET. Wear full gear to a Harley dealership on a weekend and there is VERY good chance that you be asked if you think you’re an astronaut, if you’re planning to crash, etc. There is virtually no chance that someone will ask if you support helmet LAWS. I have first hand experience with that and so do a lot of riders I know.

I also did a search on my own, visiting the websites of about 40 ABATEs across the country. I found that opposition to helmet laws is universal, but my admittedly limited search found very little that could be characterized as being anti-helmet. ABATE of Virginia did have one page where it stated that, in crashes, helmets “can also snap necks and cause basal skull fracture. NASCAR now requires helmet restraining devices to prevent those usually fatal, helmet-caused injuries.”

Because the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) also opposes helmet laws I asked why the sportbikers’ attitudes were different toward the AMA than toward ABATE, if indeed they are.

The AMA is fine. I haven’t ever seen any info on AMA organizers not encouraging the use of helmets. — TwoColorShoe (SBN)

I have to say I do not agree with the AMA either. If ABATE was serious about helmets then they would actively promote them, you do not see them doing so. I think the AMA does. — modette (SBN)

Leaving the subject of helmets, I asked about loud pipes and stunting: “Many people believe the idea that ‘loud pipes save lives’ is total BS. This seems to be a sportbiker criticism of the Harley crowd. The Harley crowd, on the other hand, takes a dig at the sportbike crowd saying that stunting and doing wheelies down the highway or through the middle of town is giving all bikers a bad name.” Could they please comment? I also asked about motorcycle fatalities among unlicensed–and presumably untrained–riders. “Most eyes turn to the sportbike community when this figure is mentioned,” I noted.

I doubt many people on this site will defend the squids….they get treated harsher than anyone! Those people being the unlicensed, uninsured, no gear, stunting on public roads guys. — SamIAm 1021 (SBN)

Around these parts you will get ragged on for posting vids/pics of any of these behaviours. They do make us all look bad (Both groups, and both sets of behaviour). So is one side right and one wrong? Well let’s just say that both sides hate squids and one side supports loud pipes. — bimmerx2 (SBN)

You think the finger is pointed at sport riders because you are not one. I think both sides have their people that think they don’t need a license. Sporties because they are chicken of failing, and cruiser guys because they have been riding for 20 years this way and F you they aren’t changing for some bureaucrat. I don’t believe that anyone other than the deceased riders can speak to their lack of skills when they died. — qubert (SBN)

These are all stereotypes though, and most informed sport bike/cruiser/standard/touring riders don’t do these things. There have been a number of studies that go in depth about motorcycle fatalities, licensing, bike type, etc. I’m sure that sport bike riders have less proper licensing than others, but I also know that sport bikes are marketed towards a younger age group. This isn’t about sport bike riders not getting proper licensing, it’s about young riders not getting proper licensing. — TwoColorShoe (SBN)

Despite the mostly negative arguments made against ABATE on the SBN forum, there were a few that were more positive.

ABATE has a poor reputation among sportbikers, mostly because it’s mostly Harley guys who don’t much welcome sportbikes. I have worked with ABATE people on some campaigns, and I think it’s generally a good organization.

I think there are some barriers. ABATE is mostly known for opposing helmet laws, which I think is just fine.

However, many of those in ABATE cannot separate the issue of helmet laws from the issue of helmets. They spout a lot of simply false “information” against helmets, which tends to drive away anyone who holds the true and rational view that helmets do indeed increase your safety.

Likewise (as you’ll see in this thread) many sportbikers ALSO cannot separate the issue of helmet laws from the issue of helmets. They believe that because helmets are a good idea, that it must follow that helmet laws are a good idea. — PhilB (SBN)

My experiences with ABATE have been that they tend to work well with legislators at the local level, on local issues. Leaving aside for a moment the ubiquitous helmet law debate, I’ve seen ABATE do very good things on behalf of motorcyclists in Maryland. — Scratch33 (SBN)

In Part Three we’ll consider whether there might be common ground between the two groups.

Biker Quote for Today

The brave don’t live forever . . . the cautious don’t live at all.

This is the first in four of a series I did for Examiner.com about eight years ago. It was one of the most well-read and discussed things I ever did for Examiner.com. It also produced concrete results, which I’ll go into later. Rather than follow my standard Monday and Thursday publishing schedule I’ll be putting these four up in quick succession.

Sportbikers And ABATE: Can The Twain Meet?

You would think that if you’re running a bikers’ rights organization you would draw support and participation from motorcyclists of all sorts: cruisers, sportbikers, off-road riders, what have you.

Yet ABATE (A Brotherhood Active Towards Education) organizations across the country seldom find any support from sportbikers, which many find frustrating. It’s a particularly difficult challenge when you consider two of the primary apparent reasons:

• A large percentage of sportbikers are young and have no interest in political activism.
• A great many sportbikers despise ABATE.

Before continuing I need to make two points. First, the information I will be presenting is not scientific research, it is strictly anecdotal. Second, although I will often refer to “sportbikers” as a group, they are not a monolithic group, and differences of opinion do exist. When I discuss prevailing attitudes within the group, do be aware that these attitudes are not universally held.

In lengthy discussions I’ve had recently with sportbikers on a couple internet forums, several issues have come very clear.

• Sportbikers see ABATE as an organization focused primarily on opposing helmet laws and supporting loud pipes.

ABATE is wetawded. — g34343greg (SBN)

• Sportbikers strongly support the use of helmets and the majority favor helmet laws mandating their use.

I’m not for choice. I’m for keeping riders alive whether they like it or not. Socialist? I think it’s common sense to do whatever it takes to protect your brain in a high risk activity…for those that don’t find that to be common sense, that’s for whom these laws are enacted. — GreenZED (SBN)

• Many sportbikers question the claims of the ABATEs that they are anti-helmet law, believing instead that they are in fact anti-helmet.

Although ABATE is a useful group sometimes, their stance on helmet laws is far too ignorant for me to take them seriously. They are really an anti-helmet organization, not a pro-choice one. — TwoColorShoe (SBN)

• Sportbikers do not believe that “loud pipes save lives” but do believe that loud pipes create a bad image of all bikers in the public mind.

Some pipes are so damn loud it’s ridiculous, especially when they’re rocketing down the road at 9 grand and 120 mph, or down my street goin 50mph in 1st gear at 5am. Thanks a lot, idiot. That brings a bad image to our sport. Sportbikes and cruisers alike should keep it down some, before the government forces it on us. — lasermax (SBN)

• The ABATE crowd is seen as mostly grey-haired cruiser/Harley types who the largely young sportbikers feel look down on them and with whom they feel little fellowship.

I joined ABATE years ago because a friend was a member. I went to one meeting and wasn’t really welcomed around all the hardley crowd so I left. You might want to ask one of them what makes them so much better than the sportbike crowd. Besides I’m not about supporting drinking and riding without a helmet. — heathun (SBN)

The conversation I initiated was an outgrowth of an article I wrote awhile back about ABATE of Colorado’s racing sponsorship of Jon Kuo as an attempt at outreach to the sportbike crowd. State Coordinator Terry Howard explained to me at that time that the organization is trying to overcome the very sorts of stereotypes I’ve described above. She told me that other ABATEs have tried at times to bridge the gap but none had been particularly successful. (Full disclosure: I recently joined ABATE of Colorado, ride two Japanese bikes, frequently wear a helmet, and have never felt unwelcome at any ABATE event.)

Seeking to understand the reasons for this, I joined two internet forums, the Colorado Sport Bike Club (CSBC) and The Sportbike Network (SBN) whose members are scattered all over the country. I posted the same initial question on each forum and invited the members to tell me what they thought. I will include “SBN” or “CSBC” after each comment to indicate which forum it came from.

Responses were many and varied, with the two forums going in surprisingly different directions. The local group seemed fairly amenable to ABATE’s overtures:

Glad to see they are adapting. It would be interesting to get more detail about the specific changes that they made for the sportbikes and how the exercises differ from the regular class. When I took the initial class it was still not set up for sportbikes. Taking another non-Abate class that was sportbike specific made a huge difference. — InlineSIX24 (CSBC)

I am glad that ABATE is trying to promote classes geared towards sportbike folks and would say we all need continuing ed from time to time and if we can get it from a class that is geared for us, then that’s just bonus. — chad23 (CSBC)

I didn’t see ABATE as being geared towards a certain type of motorcycle. The info that they present in their courses seems to be geared towards bikes in general and not one specific bike. Like previously mentioned, I think that more advocacy on ABATE’s part for issues related primarily to sport bikes might be a good idea, but honestly I think ABATE is good for all riders, regardless of what kind of bike they choose to ride. — chanke4252 (CSBC)

Hostility toward ABATE was very high on the national forum, however:

I would hardly call an ABATE member a “Motorcyclist,” I just call them a rider. They ride to look cool, they ride to belong. Whereas I believe a “Motorcyclist” is someone that would be happy on anything, they love riding because they are riding…they could care less if they are on a moped, a HD, a ZX10r, or a 30-year-old antique. — modette (SBN)

It’s by the grace of god that ABATE hasn’t invaded the sportbike crowd. — SamIAm 1021 (SBN)

lol I like that ABATE offers rider training. I would laugh in someone’s face if someone who thinks wearing a helmet is dangerous offered to teach me something. — g34343greg (SBN)

I can only speculate on the reasons for this difference in attitudes. It may be that in states where helmets are mandatory the ABATEs are more focused on helmet laws, reinforcing the perceptions held by the sportbikers. Meanwhile, in states such as Colorado where helmets are not required, the organizational focus is on other, broader issues and the groups may be more commonly seen as they see themselves, as bikers’ rights organizations.

Second, the Coloradoans may know Jon Kuo personally, and in sponsoring him ABATE of Colorado may at least be succeeding in getting some people to reconsider their perceptions of the organization.

Biker Quote for Today

The perfect man is a poet on a motorcycle.