[net.cycle] Picking your next helmet

animal@ihlpa.UUCP (D. Starr) (07/22/86)

If you're one of the many bikers who wears a helmet pretty religiously
but opposes helmet laws, you might want to take the following news into
account when deciding which helmet to buy when your current brain-bucket
wears out.

In a letter published in the August issue of American Motorcyclist (the
monthly magazine of the American Motorcyclist Association), a marketing
VP for the Bell Helmet Co. announced that it is reversing its previous
position opposing mandatory helmet laws and will now actively support them.
The letter went on to dust off the old "cost to society" argument in favor
of helmet laws (this is the argument that says, in effect, that personal
freedom should be restricted for the economic good of the state, a position
more in keeping with Karl Marx than Thomas Jefferson).  It then attempted
to assure us that Bell does not expect windfall profits in the wake of
a national helmet law (the argument left me unconvinced), and chastised
the AMA for continuing to oppose helmet laws after Bell had clearly proven
they were a Good Thing :-).

As I said, you might want to take this into account the next time you go
shopping for a helmet.  You might also want to remember that (as of mid
winter) Bell also owned Vetter (helmets, fairings, hard & soft saddlebags,
riding apparel, etc.) and Marsee (leathers and related accessories).

Dan Starr	AMA, ABATE, UMI, HOG
V.P. & Acting Legislative Officer, Roadrunners M/C, Oak Park Illinois


Obviously, the above opinions are my own.  My employer does not even
know about, let alone approve of them.