ABATE OF OHIO

ABATE OF OHIO, INC. COB REPORT •

Hi Friends, Spring is now officially here and yes, the bikes are out in full force. Last year at this time we had a lot of nice days and a lot of riders getting in some riding time and the crash statistics show it. From January 1st to 3/22/2020 we had 156 Crashes, 11 fatalities, 32 were speed related and the high days were Sunday and Monday. In 2021 the weather has not been so nice but we still have had 119 crashes, 4 fatalities, 23 speed related, and the high day is Wednesday. Everyone has heard this before, but we need to ride SMART. Big brother is always looking at ways to keep us “safe” and we don’t want to give them any ammunition. What does May mean to all of us motorcyclists? It is Motorcycle Awareness Month. This month was set aside many years ago to let everyone know that we are back on the road in full force and for drivers to Look Twice and Save a Life. May 1stwill be the annual Awareness Ride to the Ohio Statehouse. At 9am on Saturday, May 1, 2021, we will meet at Farrow North Harley Davidson and at noon will leave and have an escorted parade to the Ohio Statehouse. We will read the Governor’s Proclamation declaring May as Motorcycle Awareness Month, followed by other cities and towns who want to recognize us. If you would like to get a proclamation from your local Mayor, contact me. I will send you a proclamation kit. See the attached flyer and get more info at ABATE.com. This is going to be such a great year that last year is going to be forgotten. So let’s get out and ride and please do it safely. A lot of the old clubs and organization that have been around forever are having a hard time. Please support them this year. You can send a check to the pop-up charities if you want, but you also need to ride and support your brothers. Hope to see you all down the road. Ride safe and SMART. If you have an extra $20.00 join ABATE of Ohio and you will get a free Raffle Bike Ticket. We have a new address; ABATE of Ohio, Inc. PO Box 23701, Columbus, Ohio 43222 Mike Stock Chairman of the Board ABATE of Ohio, Inc. 419-654-5446 Mikestock419@gmail.com

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Make Checks Payable to : ABATE of Ohio, Inc. Mail To: Po Box 1658, Hilliard, Oh. 43026

— 4 Weeks for delivery of membership card Allow 2 With a membership you have $3,500 Dismemberment and Life Ins. Policy

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Make Checks Payable to : ABATE of Ohio, Inc. Mail To: Po Box 1658, Hilliard, Oh. 43026

Allow 2 — 4 Weeks for delivery of membership card With a membership you have $3,500 Dismemberment and Life Ins. Policy Complete this applica�on Join! ABATE of Ohio, Inc Today!

Submit this card & payment to: ABATE of Ohio, Inc., Po Box 1658, Hilliard, Oh. 43026-1252 Name______________________________________________ Date of Birth___/___/______ Name______________________________________________ Date of Birth___/___/______ Address______________________________________ Member, NEW_____ or Renewal_____ City __________________________________________ State_______ Zip_______________ County _____________________________Phone (_____) ______________________________ E-Mail ________________________________________Taken By_________________________ — Single Membership $20.00 — Couple Membership $40.00 — Printed Newsle�er $10.00

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Motorcycle Riders Founda�on $ * Foundation Raffle Bike Ticket with every Membership

Complete this applica�on Join! ABATE of Ohio, Inc Today!

Submit this card & payment to: ABATE of Ohio, Inc., Po Box 1658, Hilliard, Oh. 43026-1252 Name______________________________________________ Date of Birth___/___/______ Name______________________________________________ Date of Birth___/___/______ Address______________________________________ Member, NEW_____ or Renewal_____ City __________________________________________ State_______ Zip_______________ County _____________________________Phone (_____) ______________________________ E-Mail ________________________________________Taken By_________________________ — Single Membership $20.00 — Couple Membership $40.00 — Printed Newsle�er $10.00

Dona�ons (tax Deduc�ble - Separate Check Required )

ABATE of Ohio Founda�on $

Dona�ons (not tax deduc�ble)

ABATE of Ohio, Inc. $

Motorcycle Riders Founda�on $ * Foundation Raffle Bike Ticket with every Membership

Sport Touring Corner

By Norm Kern, MSTA Editor / ReasonsToRide.com Contributor

Klim Badlands Pro Jacket “Should I buy heated grips or heated

About six years ago, some of my friends started showing up at events wearing Klim gear. Two things stood out- it was very expensive and everyone who had it loved it. I had been wearing mid-level brands like FirstGear and Olympia and was fairly satisfied with them, but became more curious about what was so great about Klim. At the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association national STAR rally in 2019, I happened to meet Chris Parker from South Carolina. Chris does the layout for STAReview, our club's magazine. It was mid June, and a hot humid day, but he was wearing his non-mesh Klim Badlands Pro jacket. It looked heavy and hot, and I asked him why he wore it in summer weather.

He replied that he loved the protection and that with its twelve zippered vents open, it was no hotter than mesh while moving. He wears it all year round and loves it. I couldn't see it for summer use but decided to consider it as a Fall-Winter-Spring jacket. First came the sticker shock- the Badlands Pro costs $1000. Second, it's very heavy- 7.8 pounds. Much of this is due to its extensive seven pieces of CE Level 2 D3O armor, which provides state-of-theart impact protection. The outer shell of the jacket uses "Superfabric" panels in the high abrasion zones. They are very flexible to allow free movement but have an array of small epoxy beads on the surface that easily slide on pavement, gravel, etc with a minimum of friction or abrasion. The rest of the jacket is made from Klim's patented Karbonite textile material. Gore-Tex Triple layer shell technology makes the jacket 100% waterproof while remaining breathable. That makes the Badlands Pro one of the best rain jackets on the market. The jacket's primary market is world travelers and adventure riders, who frequently ride rough, technical terrain and hot conditions, so ventilation is extremely important. The Badlands Pro has twelve vents with waterproof zippers and the collar lapels have handy hooks and loops so they can be pinned open for additional ventilation. There's even an optional hydration pack with a water bladder that fits inside the back of the jacket with an internal drink hose that comes out of the right chest pocket for convenient hydration. I purchased my Badlands Pro in December of 2019 for the Winter riding season. Like other Klim jackets, it comes with no insulated or absorbent inner layer whatsoever. I thought that was odd, but the way the jacket is tailored and fits, and with all waterproof vent zippers closed, it insulates me effectively from outside air. Riding my FJR in the winter with the taller touring windshield, all I needed underneath the jacket was an LD comfort base layer and my FirstGear heated jacket liner. That combo is good down to freezing, which is about as cold as I want to ride for any distance. What about the heaviness of the jacket? Most of the weight disappears as soon as you put the jacket on, but it comes with a built-in kidney belt. When the belt is fastened, it helps support the jacket. Even more important, the belt keeps my back straighter

and helps avoid back pain during long days in the saddle. I love the comfort of the Badlands Pro and the protection it provides. As Spring approached, I began to wonder how far into Summer could I wear it and continue to be comfortable. When temperatures got to the high 60s, I got rid of the heated jacket liner. (From about 55-65 degrees, I wore it but did not run the heat.) In the middle of May, I switched to the stock windshield on the FJR which is about four inches shorter than the touring windshield I previously used all year round, partly for rain protection in the summer. By the time temperatures reached about 85 degrees, I had all the vents and the collar open. 2104-07.jpg I found with the shorter windshield I was a bit more comfortable than I would have been with the taller windshield and mesh. Eventually I got caught out in a good thunderstorm. Instead of stopping and putting on Frogg Toggs or a rain slicker, I just zipped up the vents and had the most waterproof jacket I've ever experienced. Another time when it was fairly hot and I got caught in a thunderstorm, I left the vents open and just rode through it. After the rain stopped, I learned why Klim has no absorbent lining in their jackets- if nothing in the jacket absorbs water, the jacket dries out very quickly inside. I wore the Badlands Pro all Summer with no problem, in temps up to 100 degrees. On really hot days when the air is literally hotter than the 94 degree temperature of your skin, riding gear actually keeps you cooler by insulating you from the heat. This especially true of your lower legs and feet, where good riding pants and boots insulate them from the radiant heat of your engine and the pavement. In October I bought a used Suzuki 650 V-Strom which I have enjoyed a lot. Unfortunately, I was involved in a near headon crash with a school bus in a blind curve on a narrow road. The bus swung wide on the curve, taking up the entire road. I was almost stopped but the bus was doing about 20MPH and kept coming over. The V-Strom missed hitting the bus and I would have been OK, except the big cross view mirror on the left front corner of it scraped the side of my helmet and struck my left shoulder. The impact broke the mirror and bracket off the bus and I was thrown backwards off the bike about 20 feet, landing on my back on the shoulder of the road. The force of the impact broke my clavicle, three ribs and scapula. The shoulder of the Badlands Pro was torn open, but the jacket minimized my injuries. There was no laceration from the impact, only an abrasion and bruises. The wound healed in a few days, but the broken bones took about six weeks to heal. Fortunately, no surgery or physical therapy was needed. Klim has a five year crash protection program for their high end gear. I answered a questionnaire and submitted it with a copy of the police report. When Klim approved it, I sent them the damaged jacket and they sent me a brand new one at no charge. I'm riding with it now and it's even better than the previous one!

Southwest Ohio Breakfast, 9AM, April 17

Village Family Restaurant 144 S. Main St. Waynesville, OH 45068

Central Ohio Breakfast, 8AM, May 2 Portside Cafe 6515 S High St Lockbourne, OH 43137

A very cool and fun option from the folks at Razor

In the Fall of 2020, Indian unveiled their eFTR Jr – “an all-new electric mini-bike (that) allows motorcycle lovers to hand down their passion for two wheels to aspiring riders.” (Indian) While some in the industry expected this to be something dramatic borne from Polaris’s acquisition of Brammo – it turned out that the eFTR Jr was in fact a youth oriented replica of the FTR 750 produced by Razor. For those of you with young riders, you’re most likely familiar with Razor and their line of electric minibikes and scooters. If you’re not and you have young kids – stay tuned, you’ll want to hear more. We’ve spent a lot of time evaluating various kids bikes – gas and electric - over the past few years, and this is probably the coolest one we’ve seen for under $1,000, well under at $750 listed MSRP from Indian. We got ours from Bair’s Indian Motorcycle in Canton – which we would strongly recommend. Great family run dealership that takes care of their customers! While some may scoff at the price tag and the fact that it’s built by Razor, but pay that attitude no heed. These are rugged bikes designed to inspire future riders. That’s clearly the intention and Indian didn’t just put stickers on a kids toy. This is a serious bike that includes several nice upgrades over anything Razor has out. We have a few of their more serious bikes – including a SX500 Jeremy McGrath Edition, and this kicks things up a few notches over that. The 650W motor is more comparable to the MX650 Razors – which are actually priced higher. The eFTR Jr has two ride modes – low for ages 8 and Up and high for those 13 and older. The seat is just 23.5 inches high, which makes it ideal for younger riders that are too big for the Stacycs but not ready for something bigger. And the electric power means no shifting or clutch even – just twist the throttle and go! And that’s just what the kids did! Unequivocally, the kids love this bike. It has a coolness factor that really hit home with the kids, especially when we picked it up from Bairs and saw it right next to its big brothers. Around the neighborhood and through the backyards, it allows well over an hour – maybe more than two – depending on how its ridden. It handles the trails and more rugged terrain without any problem, and even with the extra bling

and Indian decorations – it’s easy to simply hose off when its done. And you don’t have to worry about all the maintenance and fine tuning issues associated with the gas powered bikes. So the kids spend A LOT more time riding and less time working on the bikes. (Enjoy that while you can!)

PROS:

• MUCH more cost effective than a gas dirt bike, especially these days.

More expensive than cheaper made knock-off’s, but far less than the more expensive hard core lithium powered bikes. • Virtually SILENT – making them a

MUCH better option in the backyard or around a neighborhood, compared to a gas dirt bike. For younger riders just getting started, it’s a nice alternative to the roar of the two or four strokes. • Multiple Ride Modes and ability to hold riders up 175ilbs will ensure YEARS of use. • DOUBLE the ride time in some cases of other Razor models and competitors. • A well-made, detailed replica of a cool motorcycle - SURE to get the kids

dreaming. CONS:

• Extra bodywork and FTR dressings will get scuffed up and broken… • If you have more than one kid, they are going to fit over turns to ride it. Yeah, that’s all I could come up with. It’s more expensive than a pedal BMX bike, but it’s far less than gas bikes and even the video game system that the kids will forget about while on this. To get one for your youngest riders, you can contact Bair’s Powersports or your local Indian dealer.

Bair’s Powersports

4617 Emmett Boyd Cir NW #5462 North Canton, OH 44720 (330) 966-2247 www.BairsPowersports.com