COEUR d'ALENE - The weather was much worse in 2010, Susan Riess recalled.

"Last year there was snow," the Coeur d'Alene biker said.

On Saturday morning, as about 40 motorcycles and their riders circled up at the Kootenai County Courthouse, conditions were gray, cold and breezy - but they weren't snowy.

The 10th annual American Bikers Aimed Toward Education rally, the kickoff for the North Idaho motorcycle season, would go on.

"It's kind of cool to see all these bikes. And they're just good people," said Riess, an ABATE member. "We've got some people that are just joining, which is great."

ABATE, a dues-driven motorcycle rights organization, hosts a Coeur d'Alene rally every first Saturday in May. ABATE chapters are active in every state, looking out for bikers' best interests.

"We represent motorcyclists down at the statehouse in Boise," said ABATE of North Idaho State Secretary Dave Cazel.

Gov. Butch Otter recently declared May as Motorcycle Awareness Month in Idaho, he added. ABATE also scored a victory on April 14, when Otter signed a law that stipulates all motorists must secure and cover loads while traveling on Idaho roadways.

"If you're a motorcyclist and you're going down the road and something blows out the back of a truck and hits you, it'll probably kill you," Cazel said. "We were able to convince the legislators that this stuff needs to be covered. It'll not only help motorcyclists and protect them, but I think it'll keep the highways and byways a little cleaner."

ABATE hosted two additional Idaho rallies on May 7, in Boise and Idaho Falls. The events herald the coming of warm weather, when bikers everywhere dust off their Harleys and take to the road.

Before the bikers roared away - they cruised down Sherman Avenue on their way east, engines rumbling - a guest speaker, Stacey "Ax" Axmaker, director of the Idaho STAR (Skills Training Advantage for Riders) Motorcycle Safety Program, talked of safe traveling and biker awareness.

"As riders we have to recognize that car drivers often don't see us, and if there's a collision, we lose," he said. "And so there's things we can do to help better our chances."

Drivers often don't see motorcyclists, he explained. Bikers should practice emergency skills, even if those skills are rarely used.

Through its programs and outreach, STAR works toward "being prepared for that moment when something bad might happen," Axmaker said.

Dressed in leather jackets and riding chaps, many of the rally bikers wore patches, pins or dangling jewelry, the travelers' symbols of the open highway. They greeted each other warmly, mounted their bikes and roared toward Cataldo.

"If you ever want anybody to hug you, just join one of these groups," Riess said. "It really makes you feel good to be part of these guys."