Passes & Canyons Blog

ABATE of Colorado has been forced out of the motorcycle rider training business. Once the largest training organization in the state, the future of the organization’s property and trainers remains unclear.

I first heard about this at the Last Brass Monkey Run on December 31 and had hoped to get more information about it but have not had the time. So I’ll give you what I can. Actually, I’ll quote you a bit of what ABATE State Coordinator Larry Montgomery had to say about it in the latest issue of ABATE’s newsletter, the Spokesman.

As most of you have heard by now, ABATE will no longer be allowed to provide motorcycle training in Colorado due to a supposed contract violation from MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) and CSP (Colorado State Patrol), this went into effect November 3rd, 2025. . . ABATE tried to respond in numerous ways to the concerns MSF had regarding our quality of training for citizens of Colorado. This process was only done by email from MSF and CSP. They have never discussed in person any problems with anyone associated with ABATE. . .

The whole process seems strange to me as there were many people that knew about the decertification before I or the ABATE board received the letter of suspension from MSF and CSP.

As we move forward ABATE will continue as a SMRO (state motorcycle rights organization) organization and will continue to fight for motorcycle rights.

I’ve heard a number of things. The one most people seem to subscribe to is that ABATE had been a thorn in the side of folks at the state level running the rider training system in the state and they decided to put a stop to it. I don’t claim to know what the motivation was. I certainly was not aware of ABATE’s training program being out of compliance with the rules.

What does it mean for ABATE to lose its certification? Can’t the organization offer training on its own? Yes, it can. The issue is that with state certification you can train someone and test them on the riding portion of the motorcyclist licensing process and they can then take that certificate to the DMV and all they need to do to finish getting motorcycle certified is to pass the written test. Without certification, ABATE trainees would need to take the written and driving tests. Because other organizations offer the certification, students would presumably be more inclined to sign up elsewhere.

The other thing it means is that Colorado is likely to be severely short of riding training programs, making it harder for those who want training to find someone nearby who offers it. ABATE was just about the only organization to offer training in several large portions of the state. Those people in particular will be hard hit by this situation.

It’s hard to say what happens from here. I’ll pass along what I hear.

Biker Quote for Today

Never breathe within forty yards of roadkill.

There is a quote I used at the end of one of these posts that reads, “The only thing better than a motorcycle is a woman riding one.” There have been others as well in a similar vein. Yes, I love seeing women riding.

That said, not everyone–man or woman–is really cut out to ride.

For instance, my wife Judy is OK with riding behind me but only because she trusts me. The only time I’ve been able to get her on a bike on her own was when I was test riding an electric scooter. We went over to the parking lot of the local elementary school and she got on and tentatively twisted the throttle. She was unsteady at first but in a couple minutes she was doing figure 8s and had the biggest grin on her face.

But that was it. She had no desire to do it again and never has.

Someone a bit more game was Davey. Long before I ever even met Judy I was seeing a woman named Davey. Davey enjoyed riding on the bike with me–my CB750, the only bike I had at that time–and decided maybe she’d like to try it on her own.

She signed up for a Beginning Rider course up at Front Range Community College, in Westminster, close to where I was then living. I knew she was doing it and I knew how long the class runs so I was surprised in mid-afternoon when she appeared at my door, rushed in, and hugged me and cried. Things had not gone well.

Of course, the first part of the class is in the classroom and that went fine. But then, after lunch, they went out to the course and she mounted the little 250cc bike they use in these classes. I don’t know how long it took but somewhere along the way she rode the thing right into a curb and was sent sprawling on the grass. She got up, said not a word to the instructor or anyone else, ran to her car, and drove straight to my house.

What I had not thought about, and I’m not sure if she had or not, was that she drove a car with an automatic transmission. She had never driven a stick, so not only was she trying to learn to ride a motorcycle, she was trying at the same time to learn to use a clutch and to shift gears. Yow! That would be a challenge for anyone!

So yeah, if you want to ride motorcycles you really should probably know how to shift gears beforehand. Although there are some bikes these days where shifting is not necessary. But most scooters don’t have gears either, so there is that option. But, if we’re honest with ourselves, some people just really ought not to get on a motorized two-wheeler more powerful than an e-bike. It’s just true.

Biker Quote for Today

I’m that crazy biker chick that everybody warned you about.

You never want to be in that position but sometimes it happens. When it does, will you know what to do?

I’m talking about a crash, and really, it doesn’t matter if it’s a motorcycle, a car, or what have you. Whatever it is, you’re the first one there. What do you do?

In order to have an answer to that question I recently took an Accident Scene Management class. This particular class was put on by a group called Road Guardians, and the sign-up cost was kept low thanks to a supplement from Rider Justice. It cost me $40 and was well worth it. Just FYI, the next session will be on March 26.

It was a full house at the session I attended and a good mix of people. There were a couple who had been the first to arrive at crash scenes, a couple of EMTs, a nurse, a bunch of us who just wanted to learn, and one guy who said he had been in four pretty bad crashes and figured he wanted to pay forward to others for what other people had done for him. This brought some really good first hand perspectives into the very lively discussions we had all day.

Before we got started, though, the main topic of interest was the closing that day of Rocky Mountain Harley-Davidson. Several of the people in the class were company employees and nearly everyone had some relationship with the dealership. One person in particular seemed to feel especially betrayed by the corporation’s harsh treatment of this family-owned dealership and I had to wonder how he was feeling about the Harley-Davidson tattoos he had all over him.

Through the course of the day the one thing that really struck me about this group was how totally sober they were about this training. I don’t mean sober in the alcoholic sense, but in the serious, very purposeful sense. Another word would be earnest. We had a lot of fun and there was plenty of joking around but this was a group of people who were there for a reason.

It is my intention in my next several posts to talk about the things I learned that day. Looking at the brochure we were given I see where it says “All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission . . . ” and I hope the simple citing of some of the things it talks about doesn’t cross some line. If it does let me know and I’ll make whatever adjustments are needed.

Biker Quote for Today

I just got a wooden motorcycle. It has a wooden frame, wooden handle bars, wooden wheels, and a wooden seat. Guess what? It wooden start.

It is officially spring and riding weather is upon us, at least on some days. So, maybe you’ve been riding for a long time and you really can’t understand why more people don’t do this. Whatever the reason for that, there are always some people who do want to ride, and we can help them by teaching them how to ride motorcycles intelligently. And make some extra cash in the process. Anybody want to become a rider instructor?

Colorado’s Motorcycle Operator Safety Training (MOST) program sent around a periodic notice recently looking for rider instructors. Here’s your chance.

Let me tell you a little about the training program. I took the course several years ago and back then I had to pay $450 for it. Nowadays MOST pays for it, if that hasn’t changed without my knowledge.

We took several days of classroom learning and also went out on the course, working through the program on each other. Then for the finale we took a real class through the paces.

Let me tell you, this was no breeze. I knocked myself out and barely passed. I was so discouraged by the whole thing that I chose not to pursue actually working as a rider instructor. But that was me. Your mileage may vary–I just wanted to warn you that this is a serious training program.

But if you pass and you do go on to teach there are substantial rewards. For one thing, from what I understand, the pay is pretty nice. You can make a couple hundred dollars in a weekend and you can generally work as much as you like, so it can add up to real cash.

More importantly, you get the joy of seeing others get it, and get enthused. And sending them off on their riding careers knowing they are prepared to be competent, safe riders. That was really what I wanted to do, why I wanted to be an instructor, and it was the big disappointment when I concluded I was not cut out for it.

Anyway, just putting the idea out there. Maybe it’s just what you were looking for.

Biker Quote for Today

I didn’t fall off the back of anyone’s bike–I ride my own.

We have one grandson, now two years old, and I’m already thinking about making a motorcyclist out of him. Of course there may be an issue in his mother not sharing my intent. (Rolling eyes innocently skyward.)

When his mother was younger she declined all offers to ride behind me. She found it scary. Later, when she was living on her own and didn’t have a car I suggested she get a scooter. That was too scary.

So we haven’t talked about this in regard to Jack but I suspect she may be like my own mother. As I have recited here numerous times, I planned to get a small motorcycle (50cc!) when I turned of age and once that day arrived–and not one day sooner–my mother informed me that “You’ll never own a motorcycle as long as you live in my house.”

What’s Grampa to do?

Well, first–obviously–we need to get him riding a bicycle. I know Mom doesn’t object to that; in fact, they may already have a small bike at home that he’s learning on. I guess nowadays you start out on really small two-wheelers with no pedals. That way they learn to balance and coast. Then as they get bigger you move up to a bike with pedals.

If we were a dirt-bike family the next step would be a very small powered bike. I suspect what will go over better will be one of those little motorized scooters, the stand up kind, not the Vespa sort. That will give him a chance to learn about going faster, what power can do for you and what concerns come with speed.

After that it might get tricky. I know there are these little electric-powered bikes that are sold as toys for kids. They don’t go fast and are meant just to ride around on your block. I’ve seen some kids on the other side of our block riding one and they basically just circle our block. It’s just a fun toy; Mom won’t object to that will she? At least not too much?

OK, even just at this point, if I had had one of those things when I was a kid I would have been in heaven. Back then they had these little gas motors that you could put on your bicycle to provide power and I really wanted one, but I had like zero money so it just was not going to happen. One of these toy things would have been fabulous.

At the next step I may simply have to do something I’ve wanted to do for years: get a small electric scooter for myself (the Vespa kind). Surely Mom won’t mind terribly if I take Jack for a ride on that(?). And when I figure he’s ready maybe he and I could go somewhere safe and I could just let him take it for a spin the way I’m sure by then he will be begging me to do. (Don’t tell your Mom I let you do this.)

And maybe a little later I could get a small dirt bike–for myself!–that I just might let him try out. No better way to learn than riding on dirt.

Yeah, I know. If he ever got hurt doing any of this I’d be in deep stuff. And if Mom has expressly forbidden it and I do it anyway that is not particularly conducive to family harmony. So I’m going to have to be very attentive to her attitude and do what I can to sway her over the years. But I want to share what I care so much about with that little guy. And I have to believe he’s going to want it, too. He already sees me on my bikes and thinks they’re pretty darn cool.

Come on Mama, let that boy rock and (especially) roll!

Biker Quote for Today

You’re gonna need a rider anyhow, let me be your rider now. — Mark Knopfler

The 2020 annual report of Colorado’s Motorcycle Operator Safety Training (MOST) program is out and more than anything it looks like last year’s report. In fact, the number of fatalities has remained steady at 103 for three years in a row now. This is down from an all-time high in 2016 of 125 fatalities. The 2020 report addresses crashes in 2019.

As would be expected, the counties with the highest number of fatalities are the counties with the highest populations. These include Adams County (10 in 2019, 53 in the last five years), Denver (15 and 63), El Paso (19 and 59), and Jefferson (13 and 63). The 10 fatalities in Adams County matches the previous year and the 13 in Jefferson County is one higher than 2018, but there were considerable increases in Denver (7 up to 15) and El Paso (12 up to 19).

The age groups of those who died were largely stable with the exception of the 40-49 age group, which has risen from 15 to 21 in the last three years, and the 50-59 age group, which has declined from 20 to 16.

Looking at overall statistics, in 2019 there were approximately 120,000 vehicle crashes statewide, of which 1,965 (1.6%) involved motorcycles. Those 1,965 included 115 riders who took MOST training in either 2018 or 2019.

OK, here’s a statistic I didn’t understand at first but think I do now: Of the 1,965 crashes involving a motorcycle, 1,361 crashes resulted in injury, and 96 crashes resulted in a fatality. I wondered how could it be 96 if there were 103 fatalities but then I realized that several of those crashes must have resulted in two or more motorcyclists killed.

Here’s another interesting statistic that does not reflect well on MOST: Of the 1,965 motorcycle crashes, 1,269 of the motorcycle operators were at fault in the crash (64.6%). Among the 115 motorcycle operators who were MOST students and had a crash in 2019, 76 were at fault in the crash (66.1%). So how effective is training, really? Despite that I still have to believe getting training is better than not getting training.

This next stat speaks better of MOST: In 2019, there were 154 crashes where alcohol or drugs were suspected among motorcycle operators at fault in a crash. 127 of the motorcycle operators were suspected of alcohol use only, 18 operators were suspected of drug use only, and 9 motorcycle operators were suspected of both alcohol and drug use. Only eight MOST students were suspected to be impaired by drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.

Perhaps that implies that people who are responsible enough to get training are also more responsible about impaired driving in general.

There is more information to be mined from this report and I’ll continue with that in my next post.

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if you never ride to work.