I COULDN'T agree more with the comments of Bury Resident (Letters, June 25) regarding "boy bikers" and the mini-moto brigade.

Yes, these motorised maniacs are an absolute menace and, yes, it is only a matter of time before one of them is killed. And yet, it's just one more example of this crazy, mixed-up, hypocritical society that we live in.

On the one hand, the Government makes access to motorcycles more and more difficult by constantly changing legislation and the requirements to ride, concerning age and engine capacity. On the other hand, it allows an unchecked, sudden influx of scooters and mini-motos to feed a flourishing and legal demand by teenagers, as Bury Resident so rightly pointed out.

Why, all of a sudden, are British youngsters able to purchase and ride small-engined two-wheelers, whilst possessing little or no road-sense?

Your age and length of riding experience determine the power of the motorbike you can ride, as does the engine size of the motorcycle that you passed your test on. You need to pass your Compulsory Basic Training (CBT), before you take the theory test and well before considering which test you are eligible for. There are sub-category A1 licences, Category A licences, those with two-year qualifying periods, and those without. Or you could do a Direct Access course to ride any motorbike as long as you are over 21. Yes, it is confusing and boring -- and that's not my real point!

My point is that despite all this, and the Government's prolonged war on motorcyclists and its saintly efforts to reduce accidents, it appears to be completely oblivious to the biggest threat on two wheels since chariot racing!

Even more annoying is that, having spent £615 to combat a premature mid-life crisis and pass my own motorbike test, I have been rudely awakened to the fact that I virtually wasted my time: all I had to do was jump on one of these mini-motos and Britain's roads were mine! I would no longer need to pass theory and practical tests, wear protective clothing, insure or tax my vehicle, have lights or wear a helmet -- and I could hurtle down the wrong side of the road or pavement at 30-40 mph! Fantastic!

My message to the Government is this: don't preach to the converted or come down hard on those who know better. Clamp down on the gesticulating, foul-mouthed yobbos who openly flout your highway laws. It seems it is a God-given right for these fools to take their lives into their own hands and, if that's the case, then why can't I? I would love to ride off into the sunset without a care in the world (or a helmet) but the law says that I can't. And not because I might injure someone or damage a car, but because I might seriously injure myself!

Well, all I can say is that I stand a better chance out on the roads than they do.

BORN TO BE WILD