President's Report

As I sit writing this it is the middle of February and the weather here in Arizona has changed from last month. The highs here in Tucson have in the 70’s and near 80. The lows are in the 30’s and 40”s . This is making for great riding weather but it also is the weather that attracts all the “winter visitors” and why all the college kids decide to attend school here. These groups of drivers are not always the most attentive when it comes to looking twice to see motorcycles.

As we enter the month of March the calendar seems to fill up with rides and events of all types. It can sometimes be a challenge to make all the rounds of the events you wish to support. There is Arizona Bike Week coming up and Too Broke for Sturgis will be here before we know it. This year Motorcycle Day at the Dome will be held in April and be more like the old Freedom Rally. It is important that you let those sponsoring events that you attend know that you are an ABATE member and that you are supporting their event. Always try and wear ABATE gear so others see you are a member. This helps not only our image as an organization that we are supporting the motorcycling community but also helps in recruiting new members. Folks tend to want to join organizations that are active and support the same things that they do.

May is “Motorcycle Awareness Month” nationally and once again we will be working with the Governor’s office to have Governor Ducey issue a proclamation officially designating May as “Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month” in Arizona. I know most of our chapters are planning some kind of event or project to support this in their local areas. Please support all efforts to get the message out to the general public to “Check Twice for Motorcycles” and this may be a good idea to take to your local city or town council to get them on board to promote motorcycle safety and awareness.

I would also like to thank all of the Business Members that you see listed and their business card ads throughout the Masterlink. Without the support of these community members we would be hard pressed to do what we do. I strongly encourage all ABATE members to support those businesses that support us.

Jim Butsback
State President
ABATE of Arizona