US passes drastic legislation

By Jeff Morgan

On February 10 the US government passed a bill that will restrict the sale of off-road motorcycles to anyone under the age of 13. It appears that this legislation includes all dirt bikes 100cc and less, but also includes the sale of the CRF150R or any competition based small motorcycle.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act imposes strict lead content guidelines on children’s everyday toys and the Consumer Product Safety Commission has reportedly interpreted the law to apply to various components of youth off-road vehicles, including the engine, brakes, suspension, battery and other mechanical parts. These components apparently exceed the lead content guidelines set out in the legislation of less than 600 parts per million by weight.

Dealerships in the US have been forced to put a hold on the sale of all motorcycles that could be used by the children included in this bill. A complete copy of the bill can be found at www.cpsc.gov/cpsia.Pdf

This legislation could prove to be detrimental to amateur racing within the US and a call to action has been sent out by MX Sports and more information can be found at http://www.mxsports.com/articles/908_youth-racing-jeopardized-act-now.

This new legislation could serve to cripple an already struggling industry.