A law enacted in the 1960s that gave law enforcement a reason to stop bikers was repealed Tuesday with the signature of Gov.

Thursday, May 10, 2001

A law enacted in the 1960s that gave law enforcement a reason to stop bikers was repealed Tuesday with the signature of Gov. Jesse Ventura.

Sen. Grace Schwab, R-Albert Lea, sponsored the bill to repeal the law which regulated the height of motorcycle handlebars.

&uot;Obviously, this is not the most pressing legislative issue we’re dealing with at the Capitol this session,&uot; Schwab said. &uot;But, I think for Gov. Ventura and myself, it appealed to our core belief in personal freedoms. And personally, I’m always happy to take one more unnecessary law off the books.&uot;

The repealed law forbade motorcycle handlebars that rose above the shoulder of a person seated on the bike with both feet on the ground. Schwab said her bill repealed the prohibition.

Ray Egan of the Minnesota Motorcycle Riders Association said the regulation was a nuisance for motorcyclists. In doing research on the issue for the association, he found no data relating handlebar height to health and safety issues for riders.

&uot;This regulation was used to try and control motorcycle gangs in the 1960s. It was one tool that gave police probable cause to pull over a biker,&uot; Egan said.

In addition to the fact that there were no safety-related issues with handlebar height, said Schwab, the bill was an intrusion into personal freedoms. The Minnesota State Patrol also supported repealing the handlebar regulation, she said.