AMA Calls For All Motorcyclists to Help Stop the Ban of Youth OHVs
bayodome
- February 12 2009
- 1,513 views
- 7 comments
PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The sport of off-highway recreation is seriously threatened by recent legislation that imposes strict lead content guidelines on children’s everyday toys. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) has effectively banned the sale of youth off-highway vehicles (OHVs). The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is calling for action now to help reverse the potentially devastating effect this could have on the sport of OHV recreation.
“The unavailability of youth OHVs will devastate family OHV recreation and cripple amateur competition, creating a domino effect across all aspects of motorized recreation,” said AMA Vice President for Government Relations Ed Moreland. “All motorcyclists, whether they recreate off-road or not, need to come to the defense of our youngest riders and help ensure the future availability of youth OHVs.”
A quick and effective way to help is to write or call your representative and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and let them know petitions exist to exclude certain vehicles from the final rule governing the law. You can send your representative a letter by using the Take Action button in the Issues and Legislation section of www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com. To contact the CPSC directly, use the contact form here.
According to section 101(a) of the enacted legislation, all youth products containing lead must have less than 600 parts per million (ppm) by weight. The CPSC has interpreted the law to apply to various components of youth OHVs including the engine, brakes, suspension, battery and other mechanical parts. Even though the lead levels in these parts are small, they are still above the minimum threshold.
In order to assure continued availability and access to youth OHVs, the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) and Specialty Vehicle Industry Association (SVIA) submitted petitions to the CPSC asking that certain vehicles be excluded from the final rule governing the law.
“It is critical that Congress and the CPSC know that these petitions exist and that by acting on them they will maintain a vital form of recreation for American families, preserve youth racing and protect the thousands of jobs associated with this industry,” Moreland added. “We are asking all motorcyclists to write or call their representatives and the CPSC today and ask them to approve the petition to exclude youth OHVs from the CPSIA lead content requirements.”
About the American Motorcyclist Association
Since 1924, the AMA has promoted and protected the motorcycling lifestyle. AMA members come from all walks of life and they navigate many different roads on their journey to the same destination: freedom on two wheels. As the world’s largest motorcycle organization with nearly 300,000 members, the AMA advocates for motorcyclists’ interests in the halls of local, state and federal government, the committees of international governing organizations and the court of public opinion. Through member clubs, promoters and partners, the AMA sanctions more motorsports competition events than any other organization in the world. Through its Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, the AMA preserves the heritage of motorcycling for future generations. For more information, visit www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
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February 12th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
this is a great letter from the owner of unadilla
This letter is from Greg Robinson, Owner of Unadilla… That I found on another site
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
© 315-725-9537
greg@unadillamx.com
This is not going to be good for the sport we love. Also heart braking to our little racers. Please go to and send everyone you know to this link http://www.tomself.com fill out and send the letter. We all need to help fight this battle.
February 12th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Call Nancy Nord:
Office of Acting Chairman
(301) 504-7901
http://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/info.aspx
February 12th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Is this caused by the lead in the batteries on some models or is is internal engine parts, gaskets, oil…? If it’s the batteries, are all battery opperated toys outlawed? How about those electric ride on moster trucks, etc… or is this law getting used to socially engineer against off road motorcycles? Consider contacting the congresspeople who represent the districts of manufacturers such as Honda (That would be Jane Harman by the way. Call her office)
February 12th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
wow. i am in desbelief. they are going to run the country into the ground even more. we have been riding for over 60 years and all of us are healthier than people who dont ride. now the kids will get involved in drugs or something. our sport will go down and im gonna fight with every last breath i have. i want my kids to grow up in the motorcyle industry because it did wonders for me. im heart broken that this could pass. time to move out of the country
February 13th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
It,s now time to fight back ,everyone is like the frog in boiling water ,,is it hot enough for you now???? I read everyone’s reply and some are so stupid ,well can we still get a deal now ,what is
wrong with your brains ,these Government departments ,are going to outlaw your sport!!morrons ,take action now ,we have no time left!!
February 13th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Has anyone taken the time to read this law?It says Sporting goods are not defined as toys,so therefore they are exempt.It seems to me that sactioned motorcycle-Atv racing is a MOTORSPORT!weather done by 6 year olds or 80 year olds.Or am I missing something here?
February 14th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
we have in are family 5 riders we have been racing since 1997 and we also own a moto track if they pull this off that is going to really kill alot of the tracks because most of youre riders are from the ages 5 to 13. if there going to pull them from riding moto bikes then they should do the same with bicykles because i have known kids that have been killed and hurt pretty bad on them to. motocross is a family sport and i dont feel they have the right to pull it from us. any parent in there right mind would not put there child on something that is going to hurt them.