Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125840
Helmet Laws / ~( CYCLE WORLD FIRST INTERNATIONAL OBSERVED TRIALS SUNDAY JANUARY 6,1974 SADDLEBACK PARK RIDERS ENTERED TO DATE: MARTIN LAMPKIN, BULTACO, EUROPEAN TRIALS CHAMPION SAMMY MILLER, BULTACO, 12 TIME BRITISH, 7 TIME EL!ROPEAN CHAMPION IRJO VESTERINEN, BULTACO, SENSATION FROM FINLAND ROB EDWARDS, MONTESA PEDRO PI, MONTESA FORMER SPANISH CHAMPION ~ KULOTT, OSSA, GERMAN CHAMPION .".-~ ~-I \ \11 . MICK ANDREWS, YAMAHA, 1972 EUROPEAN CHAMPION GORDON FARLEY. SUZUKI, FORMER BRITISH CHAMPION DON SMITH, KAWASAKI, FORMER EUROPEAN CHAMPION LANE LEAVITT,BULTACO, AMERICA'S NUMBER ONE TRIALS RIDER BILLBLYTH,OSSA FROM NEW ENGLAND /~ MARK EGGAR, BULTACO JOHN HEMMINGWAY.I25cc MONTESA ROB SHEPHERD, MONTESA DON SWEET, YAMAHA Air Quality KIRK MAYFIELD. YAMAHA JOHN GUGLIELMETTI, YAMAHA 1- TWO RIDERS FROM COTTON FACTORY Trials and Tribulations For The Fint Time Ever, See The World's Best Trials Riden From Europe And America Competing For World Championship Points For The F.I.M. Prize Sponsored By Cycle World Magazine Organized By The Badgers Motorcycle Club Sanctioned By The American Motorcycle Association and The Federation Internationale Motocycliste Ad~n: $3.00, First Rider Off At 10 AM From The WebCo/Cycie World Clubhouse. 90 Riders Will Ride Four Laps Of A Nine Mile Long, Twenty Observed Section~Course. Seasons Greetings to OUT customers and friends 24020 Narbonne Ave. Lomita. CA 90717 2q/534·2311 ~"-~ r,"'\)\)~ -- ~ .......'0' , Learn how to "\\\'" tune bikes from the BURAK TUNING SCHOOL ·for a profitable career or hobby. BURAK BYE-PRODUCTS 15170 Raymer 81. • Van Nuys, CA (213) 780·1768 For those states that do not already' have them, mandatory helmet laws will provide the topic of much debate in 1974. It is likely that California will be a prime target of federal attempts to get the remaining four hold-out states to adopt the laws. Opponents of mandatory helmet laws will argue, as usual; A) the laws are unconstitutional; B) helmets kill; C) helmets are not a cure all; D) car drivers should have to wear helmets; E) and that it is "big brotherism". The proponents will argue back that helme ts save lives. Helmet laws are, no matter how repugnant one may find this idea, quite constitutional. According to the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Supreme Court shall decide if something is constitutional or not. The Supreme Court has upheld decisions that mandatory helmet laws are constitutional. If the determinator of c9nstitutionality prescribed by the constitution itself determines that something is constitutional, then it is, by constitutional definition, constitutional. As for helmets killing (as one group of bikers maintains), that is utter nonsense. Only a fool or a master of deception (and juggling statistics) would argue that. Helmets do not kill. Anyone who says they do is wrong. However, there is merit in the other "anti" arguments (helmets are not a cure-all, car drivers should have to wear helmets for the same reasons, and that it is manifest "big brotheriam"). These arguments will provide. for much controversy over the whole scene. Whether or not a compromise, like maybe a law requiring minors to wear helmets on the streets, will be reached in California remains to be seen. •• CYCLE WORLD Give your CZ a Christmas gift. A special MV ignition for the CZ rider who wants the best. Easy starting. super speed, from t'he people who specialize. .\\iII·'~IIII·' The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will continue its new program of reasonableness and cooperation with the Motorcycle Industry Council No terrible restrictive moves will be taken against motorcycles. (However, after motorcycle . manufacturers meet the emission reductions required by 1976, the EPA will not just'kind of go away. Stiffer standards will be set, especially on two strokes, smce the 1976 hydrocarbon emission standards for bikes will still allow emissions twice as high as automobile levels allowable in 1973.) Noise In many urbanized areas of the country, noise' can be expected to become the next major environmental consideration. The attention given to "noise poIlution" will not only result in increasingly stiffer vehicle decible limitations, but also will result in the outlawing of sale of any sort of exhaust system that will increase 'noise levels above those found on stock machines. Just as likely are laws severely limiting the amount of noise tolerated from racetrack locations, and tracks in urban areas can expect problems. As for California specifically, the days when a street rider can get away with megaphones, collecton, and marginally "silenced" chambers are very numbered. In the long run, your hearing will mean more to you in ten yean than the three extra horsepower you were able to get from a noisy system in 1973. Rumors Next year (1974) will be a year of new high standards in the initiation and spreading of terrible rumon. While the majority of bikers will have come to realize that reason and dialog is the correct method of dealing with political hassles, a small reactionary faction wiIl con tin-uc to cry "'wolf" at every opportunity, and.find great pleasure in predicting d.oom on every comer. Doom will not come, but as the year progresses, hopefully those doom mongers, agitators, and resident fools will gradually fade away. ThaL will tie only fitting, for those whose words never check out Lo be truth, or prefer a version of truth not verifiable in anything but their rantings, deserve no credibility at all. Smile 26 It's not going to be as bad as you thought! II