On February 10, 2009, a new law called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act went into effect. This law was created by Congress last August as a knee-jerk reaction to hazardous toys being imported from China (remember the Fisher-Price toy recalls). It bans all products sold for use by children which contain above certain levels of lead and phthalates. In the act, children is defined as anyone 12 or under, and the law is very broad in that it exempts no products from its purview.

How does this become an issue of importance to motorcycle riders?

All minibikes, pitbikes and even OSET's fall under this act, as well as ATV's sold for youths. 85cc or smaller, gone. I can't get parts, I can't even get stickers. As of today, all the major motorcycle and ATV manufacturers have instructed their dealers to remove all bikes and ATV's used by children from inventory and to cease advertising, marketing, selling, possibly servicing these products. The lead contained in these bikes is not in the paint; it's in the metal used for certain parts in the engines and electrical parts. Most dealers have also been instructed to stop selling parts and accessories for the bikes as well.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC, which is the commission charged with enforcing this act has been asked by the motorcycle industry to grant a waiver to prevent the end of the motorcycle industry, but they are dragging their feet. As a result, minibikes and pitbikes became illegal today.

What can you do about this?

We are sending this email to ask you to band together as the motorcycle community to tell the beureaucrats in Washington, DC that they need to act and act now to stop this from hurting the motorcycle industry any more.

116th District Missouri Representative Tom Self, father of two kids who race bikes, has organized a campaign to contact our legislators and the CPSC to demand that they act immediately to grant the waiver to the motorcycle industry. This campaign relies upon everyone who is involved in any way with motorcycles and racing to get involved and send a message. That's not just one representative of the family, but Mom, Dad, sister, brother...everyone! To make this easy, Representative Self has created a website with a form which can be used to generate letters to all the involved officials. Every member of your family who is a citizen of the US must be encouraged to send in this letter. Contact everyone you know who is involved in racing and get them to send a message. It is important that Washington DC be totally swamped with emails and phone calls about this, and it must happen right now!

The website is www.tomself.com and it's easy to do.

Since the automotive industry also uses lead, will cars that are built or advertised to carry children under 12 be banned also?

First was the 100% tariff the US proposed on motorcycles, 50 cc but not over 500 cc, in retaliation to the EU ban on hormone beef. Now this? I'm fed up with all these tree-hugging, imbecilic and idiotic Washington politicians and beaurocrats!

Geez... I thought our lot were bad enough. So the land of the free ain't so free after all...

I suppose this is what we over here see as a stereotypical American thing. Just how many children (or adults for that matter) have eaten their ATV's and been poisoned as a result?

Alas the mentality is growing over here too.

Edited February 12, 200917 yr by 2/4

but brown the clown loves to follow the lead of our american cousins ,it will be here all to soon.

.sad news i thought with a new president common sense may have returned to your shores.

Edited February 12, 200917 yr by asc

Why do we tolerate all this s--t ? I listened to a radio programme at lunchtime today where it was suggested that it was no longer acceptable to call old people old,pensioners,coffin dodgers,wrinkleys etc.Ok,some of them are a bit rude - depending on who you say them to and in what context.But what the hell is going on,my mother would wonder what was going on if I did not tease her about her "Senior moments" I'm a bit lardy around the middle,and I really dont care if someone calls me a fat ba--ard - so what ? Grow up,move on,stand on your own feet !

Where is the political party I can vote for who is not scared to tell the truth,make hard decisions,stick by them and encourage common sense.

Thats enough for tonight,peace and goodwill to all,esp my little brother as its his birthday - bless the bald headed little git !

Have you not yet realized the fact that common sense is not a political option, as the extremists on either side now outnumber you!

Thats enough for tonight,peace and goodwill to all,esp my little brother as its his birthday - bless the bald headed little git !

Follically challenged - little git.

I really dont care if someone calls me a fat ba--ard

no horizontally challenged thankyou.