who has heard of this lately? no more kids bikes in US?

[LWC82PE]

this has been discussed on few US forum lately

here is something i got from one of them

> They are trying to stop kids riding dirt bikes..?
> This was posted on our district site, the letter is from Greg
> Robinson, Owner of Unadilla...
>
> Good Afternoon...forget the good, as our country has descended into
> lunacy.
>
> I have spent most of the day on two conference calls relative to the
> subject line above, and I must say I am rather concerned about the
> fate of our sport and industry. Not to mention our local communities
> for the further loss of jobs and $$ that our industry brings in each
> year. It is certainly that dire..believe me.
>
> As of yesterday, all the OEMs had to pull for sale all new youth
> minicycles and atvs for those under the age of 13...this under order
> of the CPSC due to lead content of plastics and certain metals. As
of
> yesterday, a dealer or private individual can no longer provide
parts
> or service, to these affected machines, in which there is a
> possibility that those same parts may contain lead...no oil changes,
> plastic, levers, engine cases, etc, etc..goggles, helmets, clothing,
> knee braces..you name it. You may think that is just for new
machines,
> but it is for everything new and used.
>
> The CPSC also ruled that machines under 85cc are considered toxic to
> the health of young children.
>
> Effective yesterday, Honda has pulled replacement parts from their
> service system for these machines pending lead certification...this
> takes 400 days. KTM, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Yamaha are doing the same
> thing. If you have a 1,2,3 year old machine, you won't be able to
buy
> most parts for it very soon.
>
> Yamaha is sending out restrictions to its dealers saying that an
85cc
> bike can only be sold, and should only be operated by someone over
the
> age of 13.
>
> Now to the fun part for us as a race promoter.
>
> Because the manufacturers are now issuing these guidelines, we as
> promoters cannot allow a youth under the age of 13 to participate
for
> two reasons.
> We are allowing someone to participate in a sanctioned activity on a
> vehicle that has been determined by the manufacturer and the CPSC to
> be unsafe for that age level.
> We are allowing someone to participate in a sanctioned activity on a
> vehicle that the CPSC has determined is a toxic substance.
> If you think I am joking, consider the following
> MX Sports is considering removing youth classes from the Loretta
> Lynn's program, GNCC, and ATV Nationals...we run all three of these
> series and I can tell you that these classes make up over 1/3 of our
> entries and more than half of our attendance.
> The AMA will be forced to ban youths under 13 from any AMA amateur
or
> pro competition due to legal ramifications. The same will apply to
> local districts and sanctioning bodies, as insurance will not be
> available to cover this exposure.
> The lifeblood of our sport are these kids..if they cannot
participate,
> they will find something else to do, and we will not get them back.
> They will not race, watch, or buy products. That means Mom, Dad and
> older brothers/sisters won't be there either.
> Unadilla would most likely not participate in any form of amateur
> racing..with only half or less of the entries left, it wouldn't be
> financially possible.
> DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION YET!
>
> There are two efforts going on right now to get a temporary stay
> granted by the CPSC for "Off Road Vehicles." The MIC (Motorcycle
> Industry Council) and Missouri State House Rep Mike Sense(#4 in line
> in the MO st govt) are both developing grass roots letter campaigns
> through websites to develop a ground swell of support for this stay.
> Keep in mind this is only temporary, and unless a Federal injunction
> or legislation is developed, this isn't going away.
>
> There are several opinions floating around on this subject saying
that
> our thinking is flawed and that only the sale of new units is
> affected...if that is the case, why are helmet, goggle, sneakers,
> sunglasses, OEM parts and accessories, and dealer service being
pulled
> for these units???
>
> I will leave you with this..if indeed this is overblown, and we are
> right that we shouldn't be affected by this, it still doesn't mean
> that we can't/won't be sued by someone using this logic, and worse
> yet, convince a jury that the above is true. If it gets that far,
you
> will have spent nearly a million $$ in your own defense, just to
prove
> you were right all along.
>
> IS IT WORTH THAT TO YOU?
>
> I will get you info on the two websites, and I encourage you to beg
> everyone you know that rides, owns, promotes, or attends an off road
> sporting event to get everyone they know in the same manner to fill
> out one of these letters...Every Mom Dad and Kid should individually
> enter their name. Then they should contact their local
representatives
> too.
>
> Thanks for listening, and please do not think you can't make a
> difference..contact your local representatives as well..explain the
> economic impact this will have..educate yourself on this subject as
> quickly as you can.
>
> Greg Robinson
> VP Marketing
> Unadillla Motorsports
> (c) 315-725-9537
> greg@...
>
I searched the consumer product safety commision website. I can't
find anything on this ? Hmmmm

[LWC82PE]

also here

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/industry-news/2009/02/12/CPSC

i wondered about parts on full size bikes that were the same as the mini bikes

is this going to happen here i wonder?

how many kids do you know who have got lead poisoning from sucking on parts of a mini motorbike

[Nathan S]

LWC's link is a simpler explaination of this madness.

Interested to hear that there's a noticable amount of lead in plastic.
Or is it just that they haven't proven that those parts are below the thresh-hold? Ie: "You're selling a kid's toy, you must show us the certification that shows that it meets the standards. You don't have that certification? Oh well, you may not sell it them".

I wonder if the agrument that "kids will be fully covered by protective gear, so their exposure is greatly reduced" would have any traction for the racing side of things?
But then again, the first story says that kid's protective gear has basically been recalled too, so....

This must be screwing with virtually all kids' sporting gear, and plenty of toys too. I can't imagine bicycles being unaffected, if minibikes are copping it so hard.

[LWC82PE]

yeah somewhere i read that bicycles with under 24 inch wheels will be affected as well. i think s%$t is hitting the fan. As its been suggested, the people who have pushed for this are maybe trying to kill 'motorcycling' as a sport and recreation at a grass roots level. where is the common sense? I have always thought kids on motorbikes under 5 or 6 yrs old is a bit young, let them enjoy simpler things in life and get around ona bicycle first rather than give them a mini bike as a gift that young and leave the 'big' presents like that for when they are about 7 or 8 maybe, so i havent got a strong argument banning them to under 5 or 6 yr olds, but banning them right up to 13yrs old is a bit excessive i think.

Banning kids bicycles is just not on.

[mx250]

I thought the expression was to 'bite the dust' not 'bite the bike' . And it was the competition that got a 'licking', not the other kid's bike.  .

[Nathan S]

http://www.vintagebmx.com/community/index.php?showtopic=27023813

The pushies are copping it too.

As one of the posters in that thread said: "The world is broken".

Back to trying to find out if this really is designed to keep all kids indoors, wrapped in cotton wool, or is just the result of idiocy.

[ChrisACT]

http://www.vintagebmx.com/community/index.php?showtopic=27023813

The pushies are copping it too.

As one of the poster's in that thread said: "The world is broken".

Back to trying to find out if this really is designed to keep all kids indoors, wrapped in cotton wool, or is just the result of idiocy.

I wouldn't imagine that there is an agenda to ban kids bicycles.  Although it wouldn't surprise me in the least if that were the case for mini-bikes.

I think that it's more likely that this is just the idiocy of someone that has a bug up their butt about lead in plastic and the ear of people in power.

[Marc.com]

I would have thought child obesity and increasing poverty in the US would have been far more lethal than your kid chewing on his RM...but what would I know....interesting we have 13 as a thresh hold, the age where you are expected to still be in diapers keeps going up.

[LWC82PE]

i agree Marc, their concerns should be towards something like child obesity, which will be on the rise if they ban kids bicycles, motorbikes and other outdoor sporting/recreational acitivites that utilise equipment deemed to be hazardous. Wlll be more kids sitting infront of the telly and computer games i think. Once again, the people making these rules have not thought it through.

[Nathan S]

I'm beginning to think that it is the work of an over-zealous pen-pusher, rather than a conspiracy against dirt bikes (or anything).

Far from exhaustive searches, but I can't find anything that suggests that this relates to:
snow skiing;
water skiing;
wake-boarding;
camping;

And then my badly distracted brain couldn't think of other kids' sports that use equipment that aren't 'toys'.

Anyone know whether cars are included? I reckon mosts cars are far more likely to be ingesting stuff off car seats than from their CR's radiator....

[LWC82PE]

i was reading on that BMX site about manufacturers having to get the adheasive backing on stickers tested. What about things like inline skates with all their plastic bits or hockey equipment like sticks that have stickers on them or shin guards or other plastic, or painted sporting goods with stickers etc? Im sure it wont just affect kids bicycles and motorbikes. Hopfully this nonsense doesnt arrive here.

[GMC]

Sounds a bit like something that has been bouncing around the net since last Apil 1st

[Nathan S]

This is apparently a letter that Honda USA to their dealers.

January 23, 2009
Dear Honda Dealer:
On August 14, 2008, Congress enacted the
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008
(CPSIA or Act). The Act was primarily in reaction to the recent influx of lead-tainted toys that
resulted in numerous recalls and significant public outcry for more stringent government standards.
The CPSIA requires manufacturers of “Children’s Products,” defined as those products designed or
intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger, to meet increasingly stringent lead paint
and lead content standards and to certify, based on third party testing, that the products meet the Act’s
requirements. Products that fail to comply with the prescribed lead limits are considered a “banned
hazardous substance” and cannot be sold or offered for sale. Violation of the prescribed limits
(initial limits detailed below) can result in severe civil and criminal penalties.
Ban of lead in paint over 600ppm (parts per million)

Honda’s paint contains little or no lead and easily complies with even the most stringent
requirement.
Ban of lead in substrate material over 600ppm
Honda is still in process of completing tests on all of the materials used in our small ATV’s
and motorcycles; however, some alloy materials commonly used to manufacture motor
vehicles may inherently contain levels of lead that are (or ultimately will be) above the
current, or future more aggressive, limits set forth in the Act.
Honda and other members of the Motorcycle Industry Council and Specialty Vehicle Institute of
America, which face the same issues as Honda, are actively working to exempt the alloy parts for
small motorcycles and ATVs from the terms of the Act. The lead embedded in the alloys used in
these products is not transferred through typical use of these products. Our shared belief is that
Congress never intended the lead content provisions of the Act, which originally were aimed at toys
that can be mouthed by children, to be applicable to small ATVs and motorcycles.
Even more concerning is that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the agency charged
with enforcing the Act, recently ruled that Congress intended the lead content regulations to be
retroactive. This means that, regardless of its date of manufacture or the fact that it complied with all
applicable laws and regulations at the date of manufacture, any children’s product manufactured with
even a single component part containing lead in excess of the limits will no longer be legal for sale as
of February 10, 2009. The economic impact of the CPSC’s ruling will be substantial for both dealers
and manufacturers in an already weakened economy.
What all of this means to you is that – without Congressional or CPSC action -- you will not be
able to sell new or used TRX 90, CRF 50F, CRF 70F, or CRF 80F models after February 10,
2009,
stranding your investment in your new and used inventory. In fact, under the terms of the Act
you cannot even display these models on your showroom floor, distribute brochures, or advertise

them on your website.

Hmmm. Might all be political, after all. Bush appointee allegedlly pushes it through, presumably to make Democrats look like the bad guys + Dumping new cloth nappies because they're not certified.

 

[pancho]

if this is true may be its that old euro trick of having a trade barrier thats not a trade barrier.

[MX?]

What a load of BS....how much lead can a child get from a bike!!!
I guess taking them fishing will also be totally out of the question? Couldn't have 'em handling a piece of pure lead sinker now could we?