Lead Ban on Youth Bikes Causes youth class removed

 [Forgive me if this is a repost. I have tried to post three times in
the last 24 hours and it's not showing up] [This is copied from
another forum]


Lead Ban on Youth Bikes Causes youth class removed
by mx dad 629 » Thu Feb 12, 2009 2:44 pm

This letter is from Greg Robinson, Owner of Unadilla... That I found


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@unadillamx.com


This is not going to be good for the sport we love. Please go to and
send everyone you know to this link www. tomself.com fill out and send
the letter. We all need to help fight this battle.