中国袖珍自行车 | Chinese Pocket Bikes

A new federal law aimed at protecting children from lead poisoning in toys is weighing heavy on sellers of motorized off-road vehicles in Minnesota and around the country.

Thousands of dirt bikes and mini-ATVs have been pulled from showrooms since the law went into effect last Tuesday because the lead content of such parts as brake handles, tire stems and battery terminals exceeded allowable limits.

“This is crazy,” said Sheri Rosoff, owner of Hitching Post Motorsports, which pulled dozens of motor bikes and hundreds of parts from four locations in the Twin Cities metro area. “This was supposed to be about toys. Nobody’s going to ingest the part of a motorcycle that contains lead.”

The law was passed last year to limit the amount of lead in products aimed at children 12 and younger after deaths and scares resulting from high levels in toys.

But motorcycle dealers said Monday that they were caught by surprise last month when manufacturers and the federal agency that regulates the new law notified them that dirt bikes and mini-all-terrain vehicles were included in the ban.

“I don’t think that is what legislators intended when they sought to protect kids from lead,” said Phill Morud, a director with the All Terrain Vehicle Association of Minnesota. “I think this is a case of unintended consequences.”

Last year, more than 100,000 of the youth-oriented vehicles were sold. Industry experts estimate that 13,000 dealers nationwide might be stuck holding $100 million in inventory because the vehicles contain lead levels greater than allowed under the law.

“We’re hoping that they see … a difference between a children’s necklace and a motor part that has very little chance of being ingested by a child,” said Tim Patnode, spokesman for American Honda.

Joining in the fight is U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, one of the primary sponsors of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, who has been pushing to rectify the situation.