The following is a letter sent to dealers from American Honda's senior vice president, Ray Blank...
Dear Honda Dealer:
On August 14, 2008, Congress enacted the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA or Act). The Act was primarily in reaction to the recent influx of lead-tainted toys that resulted in numerous recalls and significant public outcry for more stringent government standards.
The CPSIA requires manufacturers of "Children’s Products," defined as those products designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger, to meet increasingly stringent lead paint and lead content standards and to certify, based on third party testing, that the products meet the Act’s requirements. Products that fail to comply with the prescribed lead limits are considered a "banned hazardous substance" and cannot be sold or offered for sale. Violation of the prescribed limits (initial limits detailed below) can result in severe civil and criminal penalties.
Ban of lead in paint over 600ppm (parts per million)
Honda’s paint contains little or no lead and easily complies with even the most stringent requirement.
Ban of lead in substrate material over 600ppm
Honda is still in process of completing tests on all of the materials used in our small ATV’s and motorcycles; however, some alloy materials commonly used to manufacture motor Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. may inherently contain levels of lead that are (or ultimately will be) above the current, or future more aggressive, limits set forth in the Act.
Honda and other members of the Motorcycle Industry Council and Specialty Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Institute of America, which face the same issues as Honda, are actively working to exempt the alloy parts for small motorcycles and ATVs from the terms of the Act. The lead embedded in the alloys used in these products is not transferred through typical use of these products. Our shared belief is that Congress never intended the lead content provisions of the Act, which originally were aimed at toys that can be mouthed by children, to be applicable to small ATVs and motorcycles.
Even more concerning is that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the agency charged with enforcing the Act, recently ruled that Congress intended the lead content regulations to be retroactive. This means that, regardless of its date of manufacture or the fact that it complied with all applicable laws and regulations at the date of manufacture, any children’s product manufactured with even a single component part containing lead in excess of the limits will no longer be legal for sale as of February 10, 2009. The economic impact of the CPSC’s ruling will be substantial for both dealers and manufacturers in an already weakened economy.
What all of this means to you is that – without Congressional or CPSC action -- you will not be able to sell new or used TRX 90, CRF 50F, CRF 70F, or CRF 80F models after February 10, 2009, stranding your investment in your new and used inventory. In fact, under the terms of the Act you cannot even display these models on your showroom floor, distribute brochures, or advertise them on your website.
This is no BS. Over $50 million of product was pulled off of showroom floors this Tuesday. Below are a few links to form letters and petitions that can you can send and sign. Take the time to do this and help out the kids. Remember what it was like when you started riding.
[url]http://petitionspot.com/petitions/thumpertalk[/url]
[url]http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/5/2382/Motorcycle-Article/Lead-Ban-Stops-…]
Please copy and paste this to any other forums that you may belong to, so we can get the word out fast and take care of this as soon as we can.
Also, if you google "lead ban dirt bikes" you will find out more than you want to know about this issue.