Bob Liepold, known to many of his friends as “Warpt”, reminisces that “a handful of dedicated people grew the organization to what it is today. He has watched, and been a part of, ABATE's growth into “a more professional organization”; he talks about the early years, our work with the legislature and our involvement in rider education. 

Bob moved to Colorado from Iowa in the mid 1980s. Having been an active member of ABATE of Iowa, he started looking for a similar organization in Colorado. In November 1987, he found it in a tiny booth manned by Karen Kessler at the Hawg Wild Swap Meet.

Members who have read the “A Brief History of ABATE of Colorado” (reprinted in the March, 2003 Spokesman), will understand 1987 was not the best of years for the organization. Bob had just joined an organization that was on the verge of collapse.

By 1989, District 5 was the only remaining active district. Bob was nominated for Assistant District Rep and won the election. At the very next meeting, District Rep Don Rossiter resigned, leaving Bob holding the reins. He says, “We were running in the red and had approximately 25 members statewide.” Bob encouraged members to “bring a friend next month” and, by early 1990, the membership had grown to approximately 150. (It was during this time that District 2 reorganized and District 13 was formed.)

At the time, District 5's By-Laws included term-limits for officers so Bob held the position of District Rep for 2 ½ years before stepping down. He remained active in district affairs. He says “a lot of work went into fundraisers to bring the organization back into the black, but we had fun.”

It was during Bob's tenure that ABATE became involved in motorcycle training. Members worked with the Colorado State Legislature and CDOT as the state's Motorcycle Operator Safety Training (MOST) program was developed and ABATE's Rider Education Division opened for business in 1990.

Although Bob had been riding for years, he attended one of the first novice rider's courses (now known as the BRC) in 1990 and the advanced course (ERC) in 1991. In 1995, he had an opportunity to attend the Instructor Prep Course held at our old Stapleton site and became certified as a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) instructor. Within a few years, he was assistant site administrator for ABATE's Longmont High School training site.  When ABATE opened a site in Greeley, at AIMS Community College, in April 2001, he became the site administrator there and runs that site today.

Bob continues to feel strongly about the value of training and encourages people to “take a rider education class no matter how long you've been riding or how much you think you know. You might learn something that'll save your butt.”

Thanks, Bob, for your long-term commitment to ABATE.

Bob Then

Bob Now as an ABATE instructor