With the unseasonably warm temperatures, it hasn't been unusual to see motorcycle riders out and about, waking their bikes from winter slumber to extend the normally short North Dakota motorcycle season.

ABATE of North Dakota, the state's motorcycle rights advocate, is celebrating its 30th year, according to Janet Frost, marketing-promotions director, and she is already working on several ABATE-sponsored activities for 2005.

The first, on Feb. 19, is a swap meet at the Burnt Creek Club just north of Bismarck on U.S. Highway 83 from noon to 5 p.m. The event is open to the public and no admission fee will be charged. This is the third year for the swap meet sponsored by ABATE Districts 9 and 12.

"We're doing the swap meet as sort of a winter break and to get riders together," Frost said.

Rider education is the main focus of ABATE, which is already accepting registrations for 2005 courses. Scheduling is done in April and courses usually begin in mid-May. Basic and experienced rider courses are offered across the state. ABATE has 19 rider coaches and seven assistants. Training is held seven days a week, with a $50 charge for the basic course and $25 for the experienced riders' class.

"The typical basic riders' course is 16 hours long. During the week we'll have four sessions during the evenings from about 5 to 9 p.m. On the weekends we'll have classroom work on Friday evening and then be out on the course Saturday and Sunday," Frost said. "We encourage participants in the basic course to have their permit; that gives them a little understanding of what we're trying to accomplish. Upon successful completion of the basic course we provide an endorsement, which they can take to their local Department of Transportation to get their motorcycle license. Rather than taking a 10-minute skills course from DOT, riders get 17 hours of instruction and coaches who review their capabilities. It also helps to relieve some of the burden at DOT in licensing riders."

In 1998, ABATE taught 204 students in 25 courses, with six coaches. In 2003, 23 rider coaches taught 150 classes with 1,307 students. The number was down slightly last year, with 128 courses and 1,252 students taught by 17 coaches. Besides Bismarck, courses are regularly taught in Fargo, Grand Forks, Williston, Dickinson and Minot. Courses will be taken to other communities if there are a minimum of eight students and ABATE can find a suitable property on which to hold the class.

"The maximum size of a class is 12, which provides for some very personalized training," Frost said. "There are two coaches per 12 students or one for every six. We provide the motorcycles, which are 250s, and we also have helmets available. We teach them from the ground up."

The experienced rider course is a six-hour high-level skills test, according to Frost. "It will prepare you for just about every scenario you can encounter. We have people that come in and take it every year. It's a very good refresher course," she said.

ABATE will kick off its 30th anniversary celebration at the state convention March 10-11 at Bismarck's Ramkota Hotel. There will be a social Friday evening and a general session from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

"We'll be having a series of short seminars this year. They'll be covering our 30 years and the roads we've traveled since then," Frost said.

A representative from the Motorcycle Rights Foundation is to talk about motorcyclists' rights. Ralph Vinje, a Bismarck attorney, plans to talk about what motorcyclists should expect and do if they're pulled over or involved in an accident.

On display will be new materials from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, including support DVDs on group riding. There will be a panel discussion on what group riding techniques work best.

The convention usually draws about 200 participants, Frost said, and is free to the public.

March and April feature bike shows across the area - Jamestown, Fargo, Aberdeen, S.D., Minot and Bismarck.

On May 7-8, ABATE will have an open house at its Bismarck office.

"We're going to have races with the Legend cars at our Bismarck facility. All the local vendors will come out and display their new line of bikes for 2005," Frost said. "On June 30, we have our annual Menoken bike rally, and we've got some special surprise events in the works. On July 17, we've been granted permission for a drag racing event at the Mandan Airport again. This year we'll have full drag racing; last year it was limited to just street legal. There will be bikes and cars and this time we'll have drag bikes."

ABATE has just under 2,000 members, but Frost said that respresents only a fraction of the more than 18,000 registered bikes in North Dakota. Membership is $20 a year and includes the organization's monthly newsletter.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@bismarcktribune.com.)