But it's quieter with a helmet on

Motorcycles seem to attract discriminatory legislation about as quickly as they attract hormonally-unbalanced teenagers, and now we have two pieces of law that are targetted against bikes being discussed in the United States.

A proposed bill in Maine would provide cops with noise standards to be used against motorcycles, and might even require that certification stickers be shown on exhaust systems.

The bill was written after a group calling itself Main Citizens Against Loud Motorcycles (MECALM) was formed when agitation about motorcycle noise reached a crescendo.

Meanwhile, in South Carolina, a court is determining whether a municipality can enforce its own helmet-use law when the state says helmets aren't necessary.

A man in Myrtle Beach who was ticketed for not wearing a motorcycle helmet brought the case to the state's Supreme Court. State law allows riders 21 and older to go with the breeze in their do-rags, but Myrtle Beach passed laws last year requiring helmets in a move to rid the municipality of two popular motorcycle rallies.

I'm sorry, I don't feel too targeted on these two fronts.    I love the sound of most engines ... but the sight and sound of yet one more rebel biker with straight pipes as his/her main asset, is enough to convince me that I'm happy if they went away forever.    Helmets?   I don't want my kids riding without a helmet.  We need helmet laws because otherwise peer pressure causes even those that feel they want to wear a helmet, to go without.     In our society, it takes more guts to ride a small quiet wimpy bike than a big hot hog ... in my humble opinion. Posted by LP 2010-02-3 14:56 Don't be surprised if this noise thing comes to Ontario. If Fibber McGinty figures it will vote-suck, he'll be doing it.    It's only a matter of time. Posted by Willi 2010-02-3 15:44 It was coming whether we liked it or not.    Irresponsible participants in this sport we love garner all the attention. Public stunters, shrieking pipes and the intensity of cruiser pipes have all contributed to the public eyeing ALL motorcyclists with disdain.    Did we expect something different? Posted by Blackie's Evil Twin 2010-02-3 17:53 Bikers have brought this on themselves as loud open pipes are a pain for everyone including the rider. I think some riders will be happy to be forced to use quieter pipes and have installed them only to fit into the biker crowd but suffer on every ride there after.    RET Posted by RET 2010-02-4 05:26 The bikers with loud pipes are American heroes and we need to give em all a big thankyou. It is there patriotic right to make noise and the bikes are good ol Harleys made by US guys here in the USA. Loud and Proud!! Ride with Pride!!! Posted by Dan 2010-02-28 16:14