Lawmakers want ban lifted on banning youth motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles

"I don't want a pickle. Just want to ride my motorsickle...I don't want to die. Just want to ride on my motorcy...cle."

Young would-be motorcyclists from Oklahoma and around the country may not know those lines from Arlo Guthrie's "The Motorcycle Song" of the 1970s, but they can identify with them these days.

Because of a decision by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, they will not be able to get dad to buy a miniature version of his motorbike so they can train and maybe compete in the many mini-motorcycle events held in communities around the country.

And they'll be no more purchases so the kids can tool around the backyard or farm with dad or mom on a small-size all-terrain vehicle, unless the family already has one.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has extended a ban against toys with a certain level of lead content to include the small motorbikes and ATVs, designed for riders ages 6 to 12, with a top speed of 25 to 30 miles per hour.

State Rep. Ken Luttrell, D-Ponca City, said the action makes no sense.

"I don't think anyone is going to lick a motorcycle engine and get lead poisoning," he said.

Anyway, he said, the lead content standard being applied is less than what can be found in a glass of water in many cities.

The prohibition was originally meant to protect toddlers from putting lead toy parts in their mouths and was never meant to target the motorcycle industry, critics say.

Motorcycle and ATV enthusiasts from across the land are fighting back.

"Tell them the kids just want to ride," says Rob Dingman, the president of the American Motorcycle Association, in a video urging members to contact Congress and the federal safety panel and ask them to lift the ban.

The association, headquartered in Pinkerton, Ohio, is the largest motorcycle organization in the United States.

The ban has motorcycle shop owners worried about their bottom line in tough times. Industry officials say dealers sold an estimated 100,000 youth vehicles last year and are now stuck with almost $100 million in inventory.

Doug Monson, the manager of the House of Kawasaki in Oklahoma City, said it will cost his store $50,000 to $100,000.

In the face of facing heavy fines, Monson and other motorcycle shops, which also sell the small ATVs, have pulled those vehicles from their show floors, causing unhappiness to many customers.

He said his sales crew has had to deal with "kids being very disappointed when they found out their parents could not buy" one of the vehicles.

Monson said Congress passed the regulations on lead toys in 2008, but his store did not learn it would affect small minibikes and ATVs until this year.

He said he also is concerned the regulations could backfire if children wind up riding bigger, faster bikes on their family's private property because they cannot purchase the smaller vehicles.

Monson said his store urges people to buy helments for all vehicles. Unlike in other states, Oklahoma has no mandatory helmet law for motorcyclists, but those under 18 must wear helmets when riding ATVs in parks and on other public land.

Luttrell and Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, are sponsoring a resolution asking for a federal waiver to exclude the small motorbikes and ATVs from the ban on sales.

Ponca City, which Luttrell represents, could take a financial hit if the ban stays in effect.

It is the home of the Grand National Motocross Championships, which brings thousands from all 50 states to the north central Oklahoma city of about 26,000 each year. It also will affect the MiniMoto Supercross in Las Vegas, described as the biggest event in the world for racers 12 and under.

"It will cripple the motocross industry," Luttrell said. "The promoters couldn't make it without these youth races."

He said the events draw a lot of relatives of youngsters trying to gain skills in hopes of one day making it to the professional ranks of motorcycle racing.