It seems that the regulation comes after the scandal of the recent influx of lead-tainted toys which resulted in numerous recalls. More importantly, the Act might put the brakes on the sales of children's motorcycles, like the famous Honda CRF50F.
Certainly this might be a huge problem for both automakers and dealers who have already invested in stock and advertising. Therefore, Honda and other members of the Motorcycle Industry Council are struggling to convince the Congress to exclude their products from the act. In fact, their intention is to gather official test results of how much lead is in each of their components and to eventually be given permit to manufacture these models with lead-free components.
The reaction of the Congress was far more than unsatisfying telling the producers they can still sell their products until February 10 when the CPSIA comes into effect. After this date, the sale, display or promotion of any motorbike designed for 12-year-old kids and younger will be considered illegal.
Apparently, Honda's paint contains “little or no lead”, but CPSIA bans products that contain 600 parts per million of lead in any of their materials. The regulation appears to be quite ridiculous since alloys used in the construction of motorcycles normally contain only small amounts of lead.
Although it's highly unlikely that kids put their CRF50F parts in their mouth, the Congress seems to be more than cautious.
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