IRVINE, March 2, 2010 – Motorcycling superstars Ben Spies, Kevin Schwantz and Robbie
Maddison each recorded videos at the recent Dealer Expo 2010 in Indianapolis encouraging
Congress to stop the ban on youth-model ATVs and motorcycles. They also called on all race
fans and riders to get involved.
All of the videos can be viewed at the Motorcycle Industry Council’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/motoindustrycouncil.
Concerned riders sent more than 190,000 electronic messages to Congress since the latest
phase of the Stop the Ban campaign began three weeks ago.
World Superbike Champion Spies
encouraged fans and riders to visit www.stopthebannow.com
and learn about ways to have their voices heard by legislators. Schwantz, his mentor and fellow
Texan, had even more to say.
“I really would like to see everybody in Washington get a grip on this,” said Schwantz, the 1993
500cc World Road Racing Champion. “I really would like to see the ban on motorcycle sales to
young kids taken away, because it’s an outlet that keeps them out of lots of other trouble…. I
knew if I wasn’t a good kid at school, and if I didn’t make good grades, I wasn’t going to get to
ride my motorcycle at the end of the day. Take that ban away, and let those kids ride those
bikes.”
Freestyle rider Robbie Maddison, who holds the Guinness World Record for the longest
motorcycle jump, asked Congress to stop the ban and raised a key safety issue on his video.
Youth ATV and two-wheel enthusiasts “need to be able to ride the right-sized bikes,” he said.
“We’re thrilled to have some of the top stars of motorcycling add their powerful voices to the
cause of stopping the ban on youth ATVs and motorcycles,” said Tim Buche, President of the
MIC. “We want to keep building momentum and engaging all enthusiasts, and these celebrity
endorsements for our efforts help a great deal.”
The MIC states three key reasons why youth ATVs and motorcycles should be excluded from
the CPSIA’s lead content provisions:
- The lead content poses no risk to kids. Experts estimate that the lead intake from kids’
interaction with metal parts is less than the lead intake from drinking a glass of water.
- The key to keeping youth safe is having them ride the right size vehicle. Kids are now at risk
because the availability of youth ATVs and motorcycles is limited due to the lead ban.
- The lead ban harms businesses and jeopardizes jobs for no good reason while America is
striving to grow its economy. The MIC estimates that a complete ban on youth model vehicles
would result in about $1 billion in lost economic value in the retail marketplace every year.
The MIC Web site www.stopthebannow.com includes background information, FAQs, and
public outreach tools for the Stop The Ban campaign.
The Motorcycle Industry Council exists to preserve, protect and promote motorcycling through
government relations, communications and media relations, statistics and research,
aftermarket programs, development of data communications standards, and activities
surrounding technical and regulatory issues. It is a not-for-profit, national industry association
representing manufacturers and distributors of motorcycles, scooters, motorcycle/ATV/ROV
parts and accessories, and members of allied trades such as insurance, finance and
investment companies, media companies and consultants.
The MIC is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with a government relations office adjacent to
Washington, D.C. First called the MIC in 1970, the organization has been in operation since
1914. Visit the MIC at www.mic.org.
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NOTE: Individual YouTube videos are accessible via the link in each rider's name.
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