Called my Senator

they are watching how quick and how much push we have with this crisis. if they see we dont' do a good job organizing this effort. they will be knocking on the door with the kid angle to no question.

but in that respect. lets stop having races all week during school. have these "big" races on weekends and only have tops 3 day weekend races. Keep the kids in school and make it the most import issue, not jumping some double and beating the other guy as a guide to greater learning.

Lets make a pro be 18. pro am 16 . and your amatuer or not allowed in these to upper levels til that age. is that a cure for all the problems na but maybe a start or a thought.

I'm definitely down with pro at 18. Going pro at 16 just encourages kids to drop out of school, and that's just going to look worse when Congress starts probing motocross. In fact, I'd love it if the AMA refused to give a license to any kid who didn't have a high school diploma - from a REAL school.

I like where this thread is going, this is exactly what we should really be worried about. Thanks guys.

I just got a very similar response from, Feinstein. It is almost word for word.It was on another issue about land closure but it reads the same. It also took about 2-3 weeks.

Dave, So basically he is saying, I voted for this, and sorry your business is going to take a hit, but best of luck?

That is what I read into it.

89-3

I will keep your thoughts in mind regarding any further legislation involving _____ .

fox news would be all over this if they knew about it!

We (the Show Me State Pitbike Series directors) have emailed them about it. We had a story on Springfield TV KY3 about it last night.

http://www.ky3.com/news/local/39523862.html

Well that pretty much blows. I still don't see how all of this stuff went overlooked by EVERYONE. It seems like all these repercussions from this "Bill" is a shock to everyone. I hope it gets worked out for you and everyone Dave.

Engine Ice benefitted from NAFTA.

Not all things have been bad for you.

This is the reply I got from my Republican Senator in Florida.

Dear Mr. Nagy:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). I appreciate hearing from you and would like to respond to your concerns.

On November 1, 2007, Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL) introduced the CPSC Reform Act (H.R. 4040). Besides increasing funding for the CPSC, this bill strengthens civil penalties for violations of the Consumer Product Safety Act, outlaws children's products containing lead, and makes it illegal for retailers to sell recalled products. Additionally, H.R. 4040 requires the commission to enforce whistleblower protections for employees of manufacturers, importers and CPSC workers. This measure was passed by the House of Representatives on December 19, 2007, without opposition. On July 31, 2008, the Senate passed H.R. 4040 with my full support by a vote 89 to 3. On August 14, 2008, the President signed this bill into law.

I am committed to providing the Consumer Produced Safety Commission with the tools and resources it needs to carry out its vital mission. As we proceed in the 111th Congress, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind regarding any additional legislation involving the CPSC.

Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. If you have any additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

Mel Martinez
United States Senator

****************************************************

Looks like we got the same canned form letter Dave. They probably just saw CPSC in our e-mails and replied with their all purpose canned CPSC reply letter. Totally Clueless.

flarider. Good job with your letter, i hope it works out for you. What i am really writing to say is, i didn't realise you were the guy who owned engine ice. I remember back in 1999 i think it was, i visited Florida from barbados, just to do some riding actually (when i get extra cash to travel, i usually use it to make riding trips and i know Mario from Palmetto motorsports pretty well so he helps me fidn bikes out there to ride when i am visiting), and i remember i was at Pepsi Air Dania and a kind of a tall skinny guy was telling my dad about this new company he was starting called engine ice and explaining the whole thing about the product etc, was that you? If so, looks like we have crossed paths before, small small world man, pretty cool though, and by the way, i use engine ice in my KTM currently, its great stuff.

save the children is worse than the go green bullshit we're gonna see more of.

all fear and all american....fuck it. writing yer senator ain't gonna do shit...that's like writing yer local oil CEO for a price reduction at the pump.

Dang Dave, you're famous!!

It is not that they contain lead, the problem is the parts have not been tested and certified that they do not contain lead.

This was posted on our district site, the letter is from Greg Robinson, Owner of Unadilla...

"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

Go immediatly to: http://www.tomself.com and send a letter to Congress to put a stop to this insanity.


--------------------
Attend the Outlaw Winter Nationals 08-09
http://www.geocities.com/oreillydirttrack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KqVk3Q1Gek
918-902-5786

Its great to see people writing and voicing their opinions on this matter.

But for some reason the cut and paste replys from these Senators bother me.I understand they would have to answer quite a few letters but it still bothers me.Not very personal I guess.Who knows.

it didnt "went overlooked by everyone"....there was NOTHING they could do about it!

All they have to do is provide documentation that the shit is safe. This shit started in 99 if you do a little research. They and I mean everyone new it was coming and should have prepared for it but they thought it would just go away, so I don't feel sorry for the big manufactures at all. I for one don't want unsafe stuff in this country, remember there was a reason they banned lead in paint and such.

the voice of reason!

Unfortunately, although the bikes actually are safe, that's not good enough. They have to have less than 600 ppm (and next year 100 ppm) of lead in every single part.


Explain how to make a lead acid battery without lead. Explain how to encapsulate a lead acid battery to make it impossible to get at while making it also exchangeable and serviceable. Explain how to change the alloys to have no lead when the lead is there for a specific reason.


They already are using paint that doesn't have lead in it. The plastic parts don't have phthalates. But the way the CPSIA is written, even the engine parts have to have no lead.


Unfortunately the CPSIA has nothing to do with safety in its language. It just sets a level of lead content above which no part of a product made for 12 year olds on down can have.

I agree with you there safe to be called non toxic if not ingested , I think what every one is doing is a great movment for our future riders and if theres one thing we can do for them that would be to win this battle after all it was in our hands the whole time to take care of and we let it slip into the wrong hands,it's not over yet but the effects are going to last a long time even if we win I don't know how or if the industry can survive this ?

As for the cut and past emails to your gov. I have gotten totaly different responses by writing my own letters, and there a series of questions for them to answer to.. start asking them how is the minute amount of lead going to affect a child thats may be found in a tire ... yadda yadda you should get your email directed into a different catagory then with the pre drafted ones on the net although they help so keep doing it ! just my .02 Ed

I was explaining this all to my son Joey last night. He wasn't very happy and asked what he can do. I told him about how we need to contact our representatives and let them know how we feel. He is going to write letters today. I am pretty proud of him, he is 7.