Over the last few weeks, there have been letters in the editorial section of our local paper about loud pipes. Today there were another four or five additions, one of them actaully professed the use of brightly colored helmets and jackets.

Wisconsin is a 'free state' where individuals make their own determination. However, we once had helmet laws and other restrictive practices and we repealled them.

Is this the quiet before the storm? Is this kind of activity the precursor of a bunch of bike legislation?

What has happened in your state?

I'm not a teenager with straight pipes, but I do run a 95-inch engine with Screaming Eagle II pipes as part of the rebuild. My belief is that legislation is going to begin proposing EPA approved pipes or no pipe modifications and another helmet law.

The city of Denver has been getting some publicity about this, where are you located. Around here, I haven't seen anything.

where are you located.

I'm in the Madison, Wisconsin area.

Several weeks ago they were doing op-ed pieces on TV about db levels and boom-box ricer cars.

I've seen this kind of stuff before. First, you have an area where no one seems to be unhappy. Then TV stories, and of course, editiorial letters. The next thing you see is a 'governmental study' and of course, new restrictive legislation. Now everyone is unhappy.

We had a large Oscar Mayer plant here for decades. It was a large employer and a major tax contributor.

So they 'rewarded' this business by placing air quality monitors outside the plant. Over time, the operation of the plant lessened. I think they now have a pig-slaughter plant in Iowa. Most people believe that legislation is what truly downsized the company. They moved it to a more friendly location.

I fear this kind of harrasment for bikers.

Here in AZ we don't have helmet laws - except for kids. There are a LOT of loud pipes, but there are so many of them I don't know how they'd stop it. But I always worry about more controlling legislation - on any front. I hope it's not the 'quiet before the storm'