Philip Contos rode his Harley-Davidson in Saturday’s annual Onondaga County protest ride without a helmet.

And he’d do it again if he could, Richard Contos said Sunday, even as he mourned his brother’s death.

“He would have wanted it that way,” the older Contos said.

Philip Contos died after he went over the handlebars of his Harley during a helmet protest ride on Route 11 in the town of Onondaga. Contos, 55, of Parish, was pronounced dead at Upstate University Hospital after the 1:30 p.m. incident, state police said Saturday.

By Sunday afternoon, Richard Contos was getting sick of the calls from the media pointing out the terrible irony in his brother’s death.

Instead, Contos wanted to talk about his younger brother – a truck driver by trade, a former U.S. Army soldier and a hater of nearly all things involving the government.

“He’s a rebel,” said the older brother, who lives in Liverpool. “That’s what he felt like doing. He protested everything.”

On Saturday, Philip Contos was protesting New York’s helmet law during the 11th annual Helmet Protest Run, organized by the Onondaga County chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education.

The group, known as ABATE, supports biker education and training. The group is trying to work with state and national transportation officials to put more tax money into training young motorcyclists and less into setting up police roadblocks that target only bikers, said Christinea Rathbun, the president of the Syracuse ABATE chapter.

But members do not believe the government has any business telling bikers whether to wear a helmet.

Contos’ death will not change that, Rathbun said on Sunday.

“Absolutely not,” she said. “It’s not going to stop us protesting our right to wear a helmet or not wear a helmet. It’s your own risk.”

Rathbun was not on Saturday’s ride, but she said she had talked to people who were. Rathbun and Richard Contos said the accident happened because Philip’s bootlaces got stuck in a chain.

The biker looked down to inspect the problem, looked up and saw traffic slowing and slammed on the brakes, Richard Contos said, repeating what state police told him. That sudden braking caused the motorcycle to fishtail and Phil Contos lost control, state police said Saturday.

It’s the only accident in the protest ride’s 11-year history, Rathbun said.

“Most of them are also in shock,” she said of Contos’ fellow riders.

Contact Teri Weaver at tweaver@syracuse.com or 470-2274.