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February 12, 2009, 5:34 pm

Motorcycles for Children Pulled From Sale

Retailers of motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles are being advised to withdraw from sale almost all vehicles intended for children 12 and under after the implementation on Tuesday of new standards for lead content.

The requirement is due to the enactment of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which was signed into law last fall and took effect on Feb. 10. As Wheels noted last week:

The new regulations, which are set to take effect on Feb. 10, require products intended for children to meet strict limits on lead content, such as in toys. Industry advocates said that certain internal components in motorcycles, including battery terminals and brake parts, contain enough lead to be effectively banned from sale.

“We have asked all our dealers to remove the CRF50, CRF70, CRF80 and TRX90 from the showroom floors,” said Bill Savino, a spokesman for American Honda. In addition to the machines, dealers were told to remove promotional materials like brochures and to take down Web promotions for the products.

“This law was put into place for children’s toys, and the motorcycle industry basically got sucked into it,” Mr. Savino said. He also noted that the restrictions would also forbid dealers from selling replacement parts for the models to consumers who already own them.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is enforcing the new regulations, issued a statement outlining its guidelines for enforcement. The commission issued an interim final rule that provided “alternative lead limits for certain electronic devices, in order to prevent unnecessary removal of certain children’s products from store shelves.” On Jan. 30, the commission delayed for one year the implementation of a certification requirement after an outcry from small manufacturers over the testing requirements.

However, the commission’s actions did not address the concerns of motorcycle and all-terrain-vehicle manufacturers, whose products include parts with lead levels in excess of the new regulations. Paul Vitrano, general counsel for the Motorcycle Industry Council, the industry trade association, said that as of Tuesday power-sports dealers would be prohibited from selling products intended for children 12 and under.

 

 

 

 

 
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