Read more: Local, Myrtle Beach City Bike Ordinances, Motorcycle Bike Rally, Captain David Knipes, Bill O'day, Emmitt Jones, Freedom Ride, The Beaver Bar, Murrells Inlet, Kings Highway, Motorcycle Bike Rallies
Helmet-less motorcycle riders kept Myrtle Beach Police busy for a good part of Saturday as they wrote tickets to bikers determined to not wear a helmet.
Myrtle Beach's new mandatory helmet requirement went into effect Saturday - just one of 15 ordinances now on the books to curb the May bike rallies.
At The Beaver Bar in Murrells Inlet, around 100 bikers met before taking part in what they coined a "freedom ride."
"This is not about the rallies or anything else. What we're fighting is our freedom," explained Bill O'Day, who, with his wife, has filed a lawsuit against the city and the new helmet law.
That freedom ride started at the bar and continued down Kings Highway right into the city limits of Myrtle Beach - where police were eager to write tickets.
"They're violating our civil rights by imposing... a lot of these amendments, but especially the helmet law," biker Emmitt Jones said just before he left for the ride, with no helmet.
As it turns out, Jones led the pack of bikers and was the first rider to get ticketed.
"I guess I was easy pickings," he joked.
The officer wrote him a ticket for $100, and Jones said he plans on paying the fine but still didn't agree with it.
Myrtle Beach Police Spokesman Captain David Knipes said he was not able to get a final count of how many tickets were written Saturday, but he said there were "numerous" tickets written. He said the tally will be available Monday.
The city of Myrtle Beach has led an effort since last year to end the rallies because of loud noise, congestion and unruly behavior. The city defends its new laws by saying it's for the public good - and that it's what many residents want.
