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If you're going motorcycle riding with a bare head, you might just as well ride in the buff, a group of angry bikers say.

Tonight, they plan to do just that -- well, almost. The bikers want to illustrate their point while protesting the repeal of the state's helmet law for motorcycle riders. The new freedom takes effect today.

About a dozen bikers who think riding without a helmet is foolish plan to ride their bikes throughout the North Shore, Strip District, South Side and Mt. Washington with only their heads fully covered via helmets. The bikers will dress the rest of their bodies in as little clothes as are legal.

"We're mocking the idea that if you don't have a helmet, you might as well ride naked," said David Erdner, 29, of Bakerstown, a finance manager of Northgate Motorcycles in Cranberry, Butler County. "Of all the things on your body, your head is the most important thing to keep protected."

Under the new law, riders age 21 and older who have held a motorcycle license for at least two years or who have taken an approved motorcycle safety course can choose whether to wear a helmet.

Alliance of Bikes Aimed Toward Education of Pennsylvania, a Harrisburg-based biker advocacy group, has lobbied for this freedom for more than two decades.

Motorcycle riding is by nature risky, with or without helmets, and wearing them should not be forced on anyone, said Charles Umbenhauer, the organization's lobbyist.

"We're not telling anyone not to wear a helmet; we just think adults should make their own decision," he said. "Many adults still elect to wear it 100 percent of the time. The majority of them will still say it should be a choice, not a mandate."

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