You know what else has lead? Cars. Maybe there should be no kids in them. And planes- lots of lead there. Don't take your kid fishing- the tackled is packed with lead. I guess most southern kids can't use the traditional thrre year olds birthday present- a 30-06. Much too much lead in guns.

Maybe they'll regain their sense, like they did with libraries (new window).

Another law that should be completely, unconditionally, and retroactively repealed.

That's a really stupid reason to stop selling dirtbikes for kids. I guess simply being dangerous wasn't good enough?

Chinese-made, lead-tainted toys... still A-OK!

I find the comments particularly delightful:

this is redicules. On the only good side i can see is that im 13 but i dont know which bike will e able to buy becuase pretty soon im looking to upgrade my bike

Someone get that kid a bike that will prevent him or her from procreating... STAT.

I don't have a problem with this. They're outlawing the baby versions of these things. If your kid is too little to ride a little motorcycle, he's too young to safely be on one, anyway.

There's plenty of small dirt bikes that kids can ride. If he's too small for them, he should be riding a Big Wheel, or a regular bicycle. You know, exercising.

Is it supposed to be only sales to kids? What about parents buying for their kids? I have a couple friends who each have two kids under 10 that hit the dirt-bike circuits. They have tons of trophies and it is pretty much the lifestyle of the families.

/had a mini-bike as a kid

I was 11 years old when I got my YZ-80. Good times, good times.

I can't wait until the government starts making the internet 'safe for kids'.

goodbye fark. it was nice knowing you all!

cryinoutloud: I don't have a problem with this.

You should.

Under the law it is now illegal, as of yesterday, to sell or distribute any product--toy, book, clothes, electronic gadget, you name it--aimed primarily at children 12 and under without first having every accessible element in that product--fabric, appliques, ink, zippers, buttons, switches, doll hair, you name it--certified by a third-party lab Link (new window) (link contains auto-launching video)

noYOUare: I find the comments particularly delightful:

this is redicules. On the only good side i can see is that im 13 but i dont know which bike will e able to buy becuase pretty soon im looking to upgrade my bike

Someone get that kid a bike that will prevent him or her from procreating... STAT.

I saw that, and figured Jim Bob Billy Bubba should get his ass off the bike and into a school chair.

ne2d

Under the law it is now illegal, as of yesterday, to sell or distribute any product--toy, book, clothes, electronic gadget, you name it--aimed primarily at children 12 and under without first having every accessible element in that product--fabric, appliques, ink, zippers, buttons, switches, doll hair, you name it--certified by a third-party lab


Easy: mark everything "Age 13 and up" but continue to make the items small enough for smaller kids to use them. Say you're being sympathetic to kids that haven't started to grow yet.

Do we really need internal-combustion based entertainment? Really? Did y'all know that gasoline is a fossil fuel?

Englebert Slaptyback: Easy: mark everything "Age 13 and up" but continue to make the items small enough for smaller kids to use them. Say you're being sympathetic to kids that haven't started to grow yet.

Tell that to the government inspectors who come to your door. Let me know how that works out.

Do people seriously not know about this? CPSIA

ne2d: cryinoutloud: I don't have a problem with this.

You should.

Under the law it is now illegal, as of yesterday, to sell or distribute any product--toy, book, clothes, electronic gadget, you name it--aimed primarily at children 12 and under without first having every accessible element in that product--fabric, appliques, ink, zippers, buttons, switches, doll hair, you name it--certified by a third-party lab Link (new window) (link contains auto-launching video)

I heard something about this law on NPR. It came into being because of the freakout last year (?) over lead, and the other contaminated things coming out of China. So there was a quicky law made to "protect the children!" that is complete crap.

I think it will just have to be rewritten, trashed, or ignored. It's a bad law, and most people knew it even before it went into effect. Under this law nothing could ever be resold, unless it had the original safety tag on it. Thrift stores would probably go out of business.

cryinoutloud: I think it will just have to be rewritten, trashed, or ignored.

Don't hold your breath.

cksewell: Is it supposed to be only sales to kids? What about parents buying for their kids?
/had a mini-bike as a kid

Well, if you want to get an 85cc or higher for your under 13 kid, be my guest, because that's the only thing any of the big three are now selling...

From Kawasaki's site:


/pissed off subby

WALMART.saves: Chinese-made, lead-tainted toys... still A-OK!

No they're not.

There are laws stating that all toys sold after February must have certification from the manufacturer, on file at the retailer, saying that the toys are certified not to contain lead.

Try being a small toy-store owner and see how easy this is to comply with.... It's not.

TripSixes: Do we really need internal-combustion based entertainment? Really? Did y'all know that gasoline is a fossil fuel?

Oh, fark you. Tell you what.... Why don't you do an independent study regarding the carbon footprint of all the dirt bikes in America today vs. the carbon footprint from Hollywood to put out their version of entertainment, and then complain. Until then, STFU.

cryinoutloud: I don't have a problem with this. They're outlawing the baby versions of these things. If your kid is too little to ride a little motorcycle, he's too young to safely be on one, anyway.

There's plenty of small dirt bikes that kids can ride. If he's too small for them, he should be riding a Big Wheel, or a regular bicycle. You know, exercising.

Did you even read the article or the law? They are banning the baby versions of the bikes, and that's the problem. I can't buy my kid a 65cc right now like I wanted to - the one that has a governor on it..... Instead, if I wanted him to have a bike now, it would have to be the 85cc - which is way too much power for him at this point, and I have no control over the top speed of the machine.

ne2d

Tell that to the government inspectors who come to your door. Let me know how that works out.

Do people seriously not know about this? CPSIA


*sigh* Yes, I know about the Act. However, I don't actually sell minibikes, dirt bikes, or anyone else, so there will be no inspectors at my door.

Next time I'll be sure to include lots of "LOL"s and possibly some glitter or whatever else is required for people like you to recognize a facetious statement.

Small motorcycles for kids haven't been outlawed. They just have to be manufactured without lead in case your kid wants to chew on his motorcycle.

Manufacturers will adapt to the new regulations if it is profitable to do so.

I don't actually sell minibikes, dirt bikes, or anyone else


Whoops. I don't sell anything to anyone, etc, etc.

Just to be clear, the original statement is also true.

noYOUare: I find the comments particularly delightful:

this is redicules. On the only good side i can see is that im 13 but i dont know which bike will e able to buy becuase pretty soon im looking to upgrade my bike

Someone get that kid a bike that will prevent him or her from procreating... STAT.


Don't worry; lead poisoning isn't genetic.

noYOUare: Someone get that kid a bike that will prevent him or her from procreating... STAT.

Why? McDonald's needs employees too.

this is redicules.

my favorite line from FTFA: Oh, and don't eat motorcycles. It's bad for you.

THIS is why we have fat kids that no nothing except fantasy internet games....keep them indoors all the time, that fresh air might kill you if inhaled and exhaled for 80 years or so

TripSixes: Do we really need internal-combustion based entertainment? Really? Did y'all know that gasoline is a fossil fuel?

Lets start banning things that you don't like because you think they're primitive.

coont

Psychotropic: Manufacturers will adapt to the new regulations if it is profitable to do so.

it won't be, and say by by to some of your local bike shops.

baka-san: Psychotropic: Manufacturers will adapt to the new regulations if it is profitable to do so.

it won't be, and say by by to some of your local bike shops.

Bike shops, toy stores, clothing stores, etc.

Though I might say "bye-bye". ;-)

The Neo-Marxist are winning

cryinoutloud: I don't have a problem with this. They're outlawing the baby versions of these things. If your kid is too little to ride a little motorcycle, he's too young to safely be on one, anyway.

There's plenty of small dirt bikes that kids can ride. If he's too small for them, he should be riding a Big Wheel, or a regular bicycle. You know, exercising.
Sounds trollish, but oh well...

Nobody cares if you have a problem with it or not. Leave it up to the freaking parents. Yeah some kids are going to get hurt; that's the price of living life.

By all standards kids are pretty safe these days. Kids can always be safer, but at what point are we just going to lock them in a room with a treadmill and feed them protein shakes? A little risk is alright and sometimes accidents will happen. That's nothing different than we had growing up and somehow we managed to stay alive. Get over it and life your life. If you're a sissy nancy that wants to wrap your kid in bubble wrap, leave the rest of us out of it.

If I were a manufacturer, my products for kids would suddenly have a new target demographic: midgets.

cryinoutloud: I don't have a problem with this. They're outlawing the baby versions of these things. If your kid is too little to ride a little motorcycle, he's too young to safely be on one, anyway.

There's plenty of small dirt bikes that kids can ride. If he's too small for them, he should be riding a Big Wheel, or a regular bicycle. You know, exercising.

STFU

baka-san: Psychotropic: Manufacturers will adapt to the new regulations if it is profitable to do so.

it won't be, and say by by to some of your local bike shops.

That reminds me - do you think they'll use this angle to make it illegal to have any bullets that contain lead in households with children?

I also had a Yamaha YZ-80 in my youth. That bike was awesome.

That said... my parents made sure I knew how to safely ride it, encouraged use of a helmet ("brain bucket"), and would drive me to places that were decent for riding (established trails, farms, etc.) until we finally moved to the middle of nowhere (miles of fields... woohoo!)


Living in a city area now, I routinely see tiny children riding down the middle of the street on these mini cycles/ATVs.... recklessly, without supervision, and no regard for traffic. I almost hit a 10 year old on a pocket rocket one day. He drove off the curb into traffic, drove around me, and almost hit a parked car. I stopped and confronted his dad.... who had been in the house. He was not concerned at all and said the kid rides out there all the time. I called the police to check on the kid.... hoping he didn't get squished before they got there.

My point? Do kids these days generally have the maturity and common sense to operate these vehicles? AND can their parents be trusted to actually teach their kids how to ride safely? I don't think sales should be banned, but instead.... maybe mandatory safety classes in order to ride them?

TripSixes: Do we really need internal-combustion based entertainment? Really? Did y'all know that gasoline is a fossil fuel?

FTFA...
"Here's a great rundown on the whole F*&%up courtesy of the friendly folks at Oset (the totally cool electric trials bikes) sent to Dirt Rider's Chris Denison."

What is this "internal combustion" that you speak of?

/had a Honda Minitrail Z-50 as a kid

Oh, and don't eat motorcycles. It's bad for you.

Same goes for chocolate covered manhole covers. The American Dental Association says they're bad for your teeth ;)

TripSixes: Do we really need internal-combustion based entertainment? Really? Did y'all know that gasoline is a fossil fuel?


really just STFU

Will someone please tell the government it's not their job to raise children?

Just run the military, monitor foreign trade, enforce the laws we have *now*, and stay the hell out of our way. You (the government) belong to US, remember?

FTFA....

Now, more than ever, we need to stand up for our, and our kids', right to ride.

Now, I grew up in the middle of nowhere, so despite being a commie liberal hippie, I don't have a problem with motorized fun like dirt bikes, quads, etc. But to call it a right is just farking redicules.

/Notes that it was signed into law last fall, so know who to blame.

Witchydiva: Though I might say "bye-bye". ;-)

I ain't got time for e's!!!!!

Finally someone with deep pockets to challenge this law.

I'm definitely all for laws enforcing safe products for children, but I'm not for a knee-jerk response like this with loads of unintended consequences. People who make wooden toys with NO paint also need to get their products tested, and that literally can and regularly does run into the multiple tens of thousands of dollars for even very small product lines.

If you're a small time manufacturer who is lucky to make low multiples of tens of thousands of dollars a YEAR, then effectively you have just been shut down.

I had a honda 50 when I was 8 and it was awesome. It did not go over 35 miles an hour. But at that age it was the most kick ass toy I could have ever known before and since.

All this is going to do is have parents putting their kids on 85CC to 100CC dirtbikes, where they are more likely to get hurt. Way to think about the consequences of these laws, US Government! Want to solve the problem of kids possibly getting sick off of dirtbikes? Make em take a farking shower when they get home. They're gonna smell like gas and smoke anyway.

/has been riding on dirtbikes with older relatives and later operating them on my own since age 5, and didn't get lead poisoning

These toys are dangerous. Do you think YOU are the best judge of what is safe for our children? No you are not. Our government employs the brightest minds who do actual research that determines what is acceptable and safe for the general public. It is about time government stops bowing to the whining masses and flat out TELLS you what will keep the children safe!