However, in a superhuman effort, the eight-time World Champion is currently travelling to the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto where he’ll then undergo a medical check at 13:30 this afternoon, with the hope of being passed fit by the MotoGP™ medical team so he can then participate in this weekend’s Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucia.
Source: MotoGP.com – Read Full Article Here
Esoteric Austrian suspension company WP Performance Sports GmbH which is owned by KTM Group has announced it is branching out into units for other models.
In Australia, WP Suspension is sold through KTM and has been available only for KTM models.
However, a recent release from the company about its street suspension says WP Suspension plans to “expand its portfolio with suitable products for a large number of other manufacturers”.
It’s good news for riders as the suspension units are among the best in the world.
The range includes on and off-road competition-focused Pro Components, such as Cone Valve forks, Trax rear shock absorber, triple clamps and steering dampers, as well as t-shirts and stickers.
The Dutch company launched as White Power Suspension in 1977 and has been heavily involved in motorsport, winning more than 300 FIM World Championship titles.
Its unfortunate name was based on its iconic white coil springs.
The company went broke in 1991 and relaunched the same year as WP Suspension.
KTM gradually took over the company from 1997 and re-established the factory right next to theirs in Mattighofen.
Their combined engineering has helped the company develop their off-road and now road racing motorcycles.
Meanwhile, their street-oriented APEX PRO COMPONENTS feature a growing selection of cartridges, forks, shocks and steering dampers for KTM motorcycles.
New products include the APEX PRO 7500 Cartridge, APEX PRO 7746 Shock and APEX PRO 7117 Steering Damper for the KTM 890 DUKE R and KTM 1290 SUPERDUKE.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Regulation set following MA meeting with Victoria State Government.
Image: Foremost Media.
Round two of the 2020 Mi-Bike Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) is still scheduled to go ahead in mid-September at Winton, with face masks now a requirement upon the series restart.
Following a meeting between Motorcycling Australia (MA) and the Victorian government, organisers remain committed to running the 18-20 September event despite the current coronavirus spike in Victoria.
All personnel will be required to wear masks on-site while in the paddock area and on the grid at Winton Motor Raceway. MA will continue to monitor state border and other restrictions as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“The ASBK Management Team met with Victorian government in the past 24 hours to review the status of ASBK round two at Winton Motor Raceway,” a statement from MA read.
“During this meeting, the current government restriction and legislation was discussed, including their impact on the ASBK championship and the ASBK paddock. The Victorian government representatives remain supportive of our continued planning for ASBK round two at Winton on the September 18-20 dates.
“Victorian government representatives have confirmed that all personnel on site at Winton including teams, officials, and support crews will be required to wear face masks during the event period while in the paddock area and on the grid.
“Riders will be excluded from the requirement of face masks during competition, whilst on the grid and/or during media interviews, but riders must wear face masks during any other times within the paddock area.
“ASBK remains committed to the September 18-20 dates, however this event is subject to a further review of border and state restrictions in late August. Further announcements and information will be provided to ASBK teams and riders during this period.”
The series’ recommencement at Winton was announced earlier this month as part of a renewed 2020 ASBK calendar, which is scheduled to feature a total of six rounds to be held across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au
Motorcycling Australia aiming to launch revised series in late September.
Image: Foremost Media.
A spike in coronavirus cases in Victoria and New South Wales has led Motorcycling Australia (MA) to delay its plans in announcing the 2020 Australian Motocross Championship calendar.
Former promoter Williams Event Management (WEM) exited the series in June and MA announced a fortnight ago that it would instead be taking the series in-house.
Those initial plans included five to six rounds taking place between September and November prior to an Australian Supercross Championship, however, COVID-19 has caused the sport’s governing body to hold on confirming a calendar for the moment. It is still anticipated that the gates will drop late in September.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, MA has constantly and closely monitored the heath crisis developments and has regularly been in consultation with the national sporting body – Sports Australia – and government departments to receive the latest updates and advice,” a statement from MA read.
“The recent COVID-19 outbreaks in Victoria and NSW over the past two weeks and the increasing restrictions being imposed have forced a reevaluation of the original September to November [schedule], although we are still hopeful of a late September start if possible.
“These circumstances have now resulted in a delay in announcing the 2020 Australian motocross calendar as MA, its partners and its host clubs work tirelessly to ensure a multi-round championship is possible for 2020.
“All efforts are still focussed on an east coast based championship, but any final decision and announcements will depend on government COVID-19 rules and regulations at that time. MA remains committed to communicating regularly with the national MX community as updates become available.”
Border restrictions and quarantine requirements currently in place between Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland highly complicate the process of launching a championship throughout the eastern states during the pandemic.
Source: MotoOnline.com.au
As Australia’s internationally awarded MotoCAP safety and thermal comfort testing and ratings system for motorcycle clothing has surpassed 200 tested items, there seems to be a paucity of women’s gear.
The safety intitiative, launched in September 2018, is the first of its type in the world and has now rated 202 items of clothing, including 105 jackets, 50 pairs of pants and 47 pairs of gloves.
However, in women’s gear only eight leather jackets, eight textile jackets, seven textile pants and three gloves have been tested.
The lack of women’s gear is a common criticism we receive here about the MotoCAP testing.
However, it should be pointed out that the testing is actually quite representative of the proportion of female riders in the community which is estimated to be about 10-12%.
In fact, the women’s gear tested represents 12.9% which does not account for the fact that gloves are often sold as unisex, rather than for men or women exclusively.
Dr Chris Hurren*, a research scientist at Deakin University in Geelong where he and his laboratory work on protective motorcycle clothing, explains the MotoCAP methodology for selecting gear for testing.
“We have all of the instore women’s gear in the purchasing database alongside the instore men’s gear,” he says.
“The algorithm determines what will be purchased and it does not discriminate between men’s and women’s apparel.
“Appropriate proportions of both are being purchased.
“We have tested women’s gear in each of the categories of MotoCAP.
“If you compare the percentages tested with what is hanging in store the ratio of men’s to women’s is quite similar.”
In the past 24 months, all garments reported on the MotoCAP website have been purchased covertly by MotoCAP purchasing staff.
None has been supplied by distributors or manufacturers.
* Dr Hurren worked with Dr Liz de Rome and others to produce the protocol that is used by MotoCAP for their testing regime. He has also written a series of four articles for Motorbike Writer on the new European clothing standard which you can start reading by clicking here.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Words Adam Child ‘Chad’
Images by Joe Dick and Ducati
Turn the key, and the 5-inch colour TFT dash comes alive. It is then time to select which rider mode is appropriate for your ride – Street, Sport or Race.
Each one changes a glut of rider aids and power characteristics. I’m a little intimidated so I opt for Street and leave the rider aids alone. Now it’s time to poke the the beast.
Blip the throttle and there is an instantly familiar Ducati Panigale heartbeat to the Streetfighter. It’s slightly odd if you’re not used to the Panigale soundtrack because it doesn’t sound like a V4, more a pulsing V-twin. It’s Euro-4 compliant yet it sounds strong through the standard exhaust and certainly isn’t crying out for an aftermarket system.
My first few miles are met with mild confusion as I leave Silverstone, the home of F1 and Ducati HQ in the UK. There is no ‘mad’. In fact, it’s like meeting Ozzy Osbourne and finding out he’s vegetarian and likes knitting.
Trundling along, whilst admiring the protruding wings on either side of the 16-litre fuel tank, I discover the fuelling is perfect. Clutchless gear changes are smooth, but still no madness. This Italian could be Japanese, so smooth and easy-to-ride. I’d even go so far as to say a relatively inexperienced rider could jump on the V4S and, at low speeds at least, not feel overwhelmed. Once you brush past the snarling teeth, this croc appears not to bite.
Onto the dual-carriageway, and it’s time to poke the beast a little harder. It’s a similar story. The revs start to build, but not frighteningly so; the power is progressive and smooth… Have my balls got bigger overnight, am I braver than I think, or does this Ducati just not feel quick?
A glance in my mirrors reveals two empty lanes in front and nothing behind me, so I grab 4th gear plus a huge handful of throttle. Wow, now it bites! At 7000 rpm the Streetfighter wants to take off. I short-shift at 10,000 rpm, way before peak torque which is at 11,500 rpm, and another enormous lump of power, possibly more than before, hits with the force of a huge barrelling wave. This is immense. The Streetfighter’s brain limits torque in 1st and 2nd gear, then adds some more in 3rd and 4th, then allows full fat drive in 5th and 6th. Fact is, according to Ducati, with its shorter gearing, the Streetfighter accelerates even harder than the Panigale.
The rev counter, I discovered, divides into three distinct zones: between 3000 rpm and 6000 rpm it’s shy and easy to live with; from 6000 rpm to 8000 rpm it wants to party; from 8000 rpm it simply rocks… while biting the heads off bats. Even in Street mode (which gets all the rider aids working overtime) this is an incredibly fast bike, and to test the more aggressive modes I need to get away from civilisation, out into the countryside, because this is going to be wild and quite illegal.
Now the V4’s power goes from puppy to wolf the more you twist the throttle. On the road it’s almost too fast, in fact I don’t think I ever actually revved it all the way to redline at any point. On the road I was always changing gear around 10,000 rpm, way short of peak power at 12,750 rpm, because there is so much power on tap. You really need to be on track to make her scream. My only criticism is that the quick-shifter is on the touchy side. A few times I tapped a gear by mistake or tapped two gears instead of one. But as the miles built up, the more we clicked and experienced fewer missed changes.
The EVO-2 rider aids are incredible. You have traction, slide, and wheelie control, plus engine braking and launch control. Furthermore, there is cornering ABS and that quick-shifter/auto-blipper.
Öhlins Smart EC2.0 controls the semi-active suspension (S model only), which can be tailored by the rider via a set-up menu. Rider aids can be changed on the move, but only deactivated at a standstill. The excellent rider aids don’t inhibit the fun, instead they enhance it by giving you the confidence to push a little harder and start to use those 208 horses. These are some of the best rider aids I’ve ever tested and can be easily tuned to the conditions and how you ride.
I was guessing the V4S to be wheelie prone, but it isn’t. Instead, it simply finds grip and catapults you forward with arm-stretching acceleration. Even with the rider aids deactivated, it’s far less wheelie inclined than I was expecting. This is down to several factors: wings, rider aids, limited torque in the lower gears, a longer wheelbase than the Panigale (by 19mm), and a counter-rotating engine.
It’s not just down to the iconic wings. Typically, large capacity naked bikes with piles of power and torque are always trying to wheelie. On a naked bike, you’re sat higher up, in the windblast. When you ride fast or accelerate hard, the wind pressure hits the rider, who then pulls on the bars which lift the forks and sits the rear down. All of which means naked bikes are more wheelie prone than fully-faired machines, as the rider acts as a sail. But Ducati has managed to lessen wheelies and increase stability and it can’t be all down to the wings, which don’t start working until speed increases above road limits, in the same way a plane can not take off at a standstill.
This doesn’t mean the Streetfighter is less amusing to ride. In fact, the opposite is true because this stability delivers confidence. A naked bike with this much power shouldn’t be this stable, composed and civilised at speed.
The Brembo Stylema M4.30 calipers bite down on the 330 mm discs with immense power. But again, like the engine power, it’s not an overpowering experience, just strong. You can’t ‘feel’ the corning ABS working, not on the road, and the stoppers are backed up by class-leading engine braking control, which allows you to leave braking devilishly late.
Personally, I love the fact you can opt for the front only ABS, which allows you to have some fun getting sideways into corners. Again, the Öhlins semi-active suspension has to take some credit for the superb braking performance, as the front forks don’t dive like a scared ostrich. They hold their composure and allow you to make the most out of the expensive stoppers.
The semi-active Ohlins Smart EC2.0 suspension is equally reassured in the bends. It copes with undulations and bumps with poise and refinement. I deliberately hit notorious bumpy, horrible sections at TT speeds and the Ducati stayed composed and unflustered, it even felt like the steering damper could be thrown in the trash. Even really pushing on the handling is solid and stable, all those clever electronics, the wings, the engine’s character, that longer wheelbase and steering geometry (rake and trail are the same as Panigale) colluding to deliver a superb ride.
The seat is 10 mm higher than the Panigale’s, with increased foam for comfort, and the pegs are lower. The wide bars and protruding wings give the feeling of a large bike, and with that longer wheelbase I was expecting the steering to be a little slower, but it’s more than happy to lay on its side like an obedient dog. Once over, the grip and feel are impressive.
Unfortunately, we stayed away from the track on this test and will have to give the Streetfighter a thorough workout at a circuit in the coming weeks, perhaps with race rubber, to see how it performs on the very limit (test coming in Italy). But in standard form on standard Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa rubber, there are no negatives.
You’re correct, I’m enjoying the new Ducati Streetfighter and to be honest I wasn’t a huge fan of the old bike (2009), because I never warmed to the looks. But now the new Streetfighter is neat and tidy, exhaust and water-cooling routes hidden, the finish neat. I love the extra details and touches like the ‘Joker’ style face, the stunning single-sided swing-arm, and the cut-out sections in the rear seat. It looks like a bike designed from the ground up, not just a Panigale with its clothes removed.
But for 30-grand I was expecting a little more bling. Where, after all, is the carbon fibre, the keyless ignition and other trinkets? Oh sorry, did I not mention the price. Yes, I know it’s an exotic Ducati but $33,900 for the S and $29,500 for the standard model is serious money, especially as the competition from KTM and Aprilia are 10 to 20 per cent cheaper.
While I’m grumbling about price, I have to mention the fuel consumption, which approahces eight litres per 100 km if pushed on the road. The fuel light regularly comes on prematurely often before 150 kilometres, while the 16-litre fuel tank can be drained in 200 kilometres if you are having some fun.
But, as a good friend (who’s not as tight as me) pointed out, it’s a bargain compared to the Panigale V4, and, anyway, who buys an exotic Ducati with over 200 hp and worries about fuel range. And let’s face it, the Streetfighter is a better road bike with friendlier ergonomics and ease-of-use that its fully clothed sibling. Primarily riding on the road, with the very occasional track day, I’d opt for the naked Streetfighter every time.
If you’re mainly riding on the road, it questions why would you want a sports bike, as the Streetifighter is so good. Ducati has made 208 hp functional through a clever combination of chassis, power delivery, electronics, and aerodynamic wings.
You can, ride (or pose) around town and nip over to your mate’s for a beer, or alternatively tear up some bends, or embarrass some sportsbikes on the track. It really is as quick as your arm and neck muscles will allow.
The rider aids don’t reduce the fun or character, and it looks spectacular from every angle.
Yes, the Streetfighter is expensive and drinks like a drunk at happy hour, but on paper is the most powerful naked bike on the market and, on the road, arguably is the best hyper-naked at the moment.
Only a big group test will tell us for sure. Don’t worry, it’s a tough job but we’re on it and that test will be with us in coming weeks. Stay tuned.
Both models use the same engine layout, brakes and chassis. Peak power of 208 hp is identical on both models, however, the pricier S model is a fraction lighter, 178kg (dry) compared to 180kg (dry) for the standard model. This is mainly down to the lightweight wheels on the S model, which are Marchesini 3-spoke forged aluminium rather than 5-spoke light aluminium alloy. The Marchesini wheels are 14% lighter with 16% less inertia.
The suspension is also a major difference. The S model as tested arrives with Öhlins NIX30 43 mm forks, the rear TTX36, both semi-active. The top yoke steering damper is also an Öhlins unit. The standard model comes with a conventional, manually fully adjustable suspension, 43 mm BPF Showa upfront, and Sachs on the rear. The S also gets an Ohlins steering damper over a Sachs unit on the base model.
Source: MCNews.com.au
Apart from being considered dangerous by motorcycle riders, wire rope barriers are also unfair and discriminate against motorcycle and scooters riders, says an Australian university road safety professor.
The professor who wishes to remain anonymous points out that WRBs are officially acknowledged as posing more danger to riders and therefore discriminate against them.
Many riders refer to WRBs as “people slicers” and “cheese graters”.
The professor says WRBs also do not address the “Towards Zero” policy because it excludes one road user group, albeit a minority.
He says road safety initiatives should be addressed to all road users, not the majority.
His comments have been endorsed by Victorian Motorcycle Council chair Peter Baulch whose state is one of the most prolific in its use of WRBs.
The professor gave two excellent analogies of how WRBs discriminate against riders:
Peter says he will use two of the professor’s analogies in the VMC’s fight against the barriers.
He points out that some European countries are no longer installing WRBs, others are removing previously installed WRBs the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure recently acknowledged that “wire rope and steel post type crash barriers are hazardous to motorcyclists’ safety in a collision”.
“We now have the situation … providing a clear acknowledgement that WRBs do actually present a dangerous hazard to motorcyclists, where in fact, such a hazard did not previously exist,” Peter says.
Therefore, WRBs discriminate against a portion of road users who are endangered by their installation.
He points out that the representative bodies on the panels that advise the Roads Minister and VicRoads, including VicPol, TAC, VicRoads, DoJ, Ministers Office, agreed the following:
On the topic of road safety, there are two key principles. The primary one is that road safety is a shared responsibility amongst all road users. The other principle is that the road safety of one road user group should not come at the expense of the safety of another road user group.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Australian car parking costs, which are among the highest in the world, should make motorcycling more attractive as bike parking is often free or discounted.
The 2020 Parking Price Index of car parking costs in 65 major cities shows Sydney in third place only behind New York and Boston.
Brisbane was in fifth place, Melbourne 18th and Perth 39th with no mention of Canberra, Adelaide or Hobart.
Sydney’s shopping district car parks were a whopping 498% higher than the median for the 65 cities listed.
With the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries promoting their fourth Ride to Work Week in September 2020, free and cheap parking should be a highlight of their promotions through the official website and social media.
UK car maintenance service Fixter did not consider motorcycle parking prices in their survey because many cities allow motorcycles to park free or at substantially discounted prices.
However, there are a few anomalies in Australia where motorcycle riders are being ripped off as they are charged the same price as cars.
Several years ago we pointed out that some hotels and casinos charge motorcycles and scooters the same parking rate as cars, even though the space is smaller or car bays can be shared with multiple bikes.
Also, Melbourne airport, which charges 68.78% above the median price, has no discount for motorcycles.
Meanwhile, Sydney has free parking for motorcycles at the domestic and International airports and Brisbane offers a discount of $10/day for up to seven days then $5/day.
| 1 |
New York |
US |
| 2 |
Boston |
US |
| 3 |
Sydney |
Australia |
| 4 |
London |
UK |
| 5 |
Brisbane |
Australia |
| 6 |
Philadelphia |
US |
| 7 |
Chicago |
US |
| 8 |
Minneapolis |
US |
| 9 |
San Francisco |
US |
| 10 |
Washington |
US |
| 11 |
Miami |
US |
| 12 |
Seattle |
US |
| 13 |
Leeds |
UK |
| 14 |
Detroit |
US |
| 15 |
Oslo |
Norway |
| 16 |
Amsterdam |
Netherlands |
| 17 |
Los Angeles |
US |
| 18 |
Melbourne |
Australia |
| 19 |
Liverpool |
UK |
| 20 |
Manchester |
UK |
| 21 |
Montreal |
Canada |
| 22 |
San Diego |
US |
| 23 |
Edinburgh |
UK |
| 24 |
Birmingham |
UK |
| 25 |
Toronto |
Canada |
| 26 |
Atlanta |
US |
| 27 |
Calgary |
Canada |
| 28 |
Stockholm |
Sweden |
| 29 |
Glasgow |
UK |
| 30 |
Copenhagen |
Denmark |
| 31 |
Utrecht |
Netherlands |
| 32 |
Paris |
France |
| 33 |
Ottawa |
Canada |
| 34 |
Cardiff |
UK |
| 35 |
Tokyo |
Japan |
| 36 |
Vancouver |
Canada |
| 37 |
Sheffield |
UK |
| 38 |
Zurich |
Switzerland |
| 39 |
Perth |
Australia |
| 40 |
Dublin |
Ireland |
| 41 |
Sao Paulo |
Brazil |
| 42 |
Frankfurt |
Germany |
| 43 |
Rome |
Italy |
| 44 |
Moscow |
Russia |
| 45 |
Dallas |
US |
| 46 |
Honululu |
US |
| 47 |
Basel |
Switzerland |
| 48 |
Geneva |
Switzerland |
| 49 |
Auckland |
New Zealand |
| 50 |
Madrid |
Spain |
| 51 |
Hong Kong |
Hong Kong |
| 52 |
Berlin |
Germany |
| 53 |
Belfast |
UK |
| 54 |
Warsaw |
Poland |
| 55 |
Istanbul |
Turkey |
| 56 |
Bogota |
Colombia |
| 57 |
Singapore |
Singapore |
| 58 |
Dubai |
UAE |
| 59 |
Mexico City |
Mexico |
| 60 |
Shanghai |
China |
| 61 |
Beijing |
China |
| 62 |
Mumbai |
India |
| 63 |
Cape Town |
South Africa |
| 64 |
Buenos Aires |
Argentina |
| 65 |
Delhi |
India |
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
Innovative new opportunity to gain support aboard your CRF.
Image: Supplied.
Honda Motorcycles has introduced an innovative new ‘Race Red’ program in support of the brand’s customers who actively compete aboard CRF machinery.
As part of its 2021 model release, Honda has announced an initiative that will offer benefits to riders through its dealer network.
Access to the program will be based on submission of an application via your local Honda dealer, where – if approved – you’ll get access to Honda racing products and an affordable unit to race.
Applicants must submit a copy of their competition licence and a resume outlining planned events, which will then be provided to Honda for final approval.
On approval, successful applicants will receive a new Honda CRF, Honda pit tent and Honda Racing stand from their dealer and be welcomed into the ‘Race Red’ program.
“We are pleased to see this program come to life,” commented Honda Motorcycles general manager Tony Hinton. “Racing is Honda’s lifeblood and with this program we are looking to cater to all levels of racing across the country.
“We have our Penrite Honda Racing factory team as a tier one level for national Supercross and MX classes, we’ve also got our ‘Ride Red’ program for privateer riders competing in national and state events and now we are proud to roll out a more refined ‘Race Red’ program, which looks to support riders at a local and dealer ambassador level.
“It’s the ideal time to launch the program with our new CRF450R and 2021 MX line up, as we believe these bikes will deliver results to those who want to take the next step with their racing careers. We want to see future champions on our CRFs.”
Further information on Honda Motorcycles Australia’s new Race Red program can be found through your local Honda dealer or visit www.honda.com.au to find out more.
Source: MotoOnline.com.au
(Contributed article by Check4Lead for our North American readers)
If you start looking around the internet, it is no surprise that the inclusion of lead particles in paint has long been an issue. You really don’t need to go all that far back to see articles talking about the exposure to lead paint and dust being an issue.
In fact, there are still a lot of public housing in New York that suffer badly from the issue, where the most vulnerable are being exposed to the heavy metal every single day.
While the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 effectively banned lead paint in motorcycles by setting a 0.5% limit by weight, lead has not been entirely banned in paints yet. Although that limit was set with the intention of creating a safe legal limit, the reality is still that lead accumulates in the body. That’s why it is better to avoid it as much as you possibly can.
While you may be thinking that it is relatively harmless to be exposed to lead, it can lead to long-term side effects and negative consequences both to your own health, but also if others are exposed to the particles as a consequence of you being exposed to them. What that means is that you may not just get exposed to it yourself when you’re working on your bike, but the particles will stick to your clothing, and when you reenter the house, you will then be spreading all of these particles around the house. When the particles fall on different objects, you may end up transmitting them to other objects that a baby may perhaps find interesting to put in their mouth, at which point they will end up ingesting the dangerous particles.
We’re not just trying to warn you about the dangers of lead in paint without any good reason, and we at Check4Lead have committed significant amounts of time educating the public about the risks associated with the heavy metal.
It’s not just things like hearing loss and a bad sunburn that motorcycle riders have to worry about, no it’s also the risk of things like lead poisoning.
While lead in paint isn’t inherently bad, it is when it turns into particle form and is released and settles in the form of lead dust that it becomes problematic. This happen in a couple of different scenarios.
For instance, it happens when the paint deteriorates and starts getting all flaky. That is why the EPA introduced a range of regulations to regulate the working on lead paint affected areas with its RRP regulation. If you are remodeling a home that was built before 1978 and you are doing anything that might affect the paint in the home, you are required to keep very specific documentation to prove that you or the contractor tested for the presence of lead, and if anything is found, a lot of precautions have to be taken, and the contractor has to go through an extensive certification process as well.
These measures were introduced back in 2008 because lead continues to pose a major threat to the public.
It is also an issue if you are working on an old bike. If you decide to give your bike a new set of paint, you are required to sand it down before the job starts. All the lead particles are released during the sanding process, and if you are not making sure that you are sufficiently and properly protected in the process, you are at significant risk of ingesting these particles.
Lead is one of those nasty things that will accumulate in the body over time when you are exposed to it, and being a heavy metal they can lead to a range of negative health consequences for you, and especially bad ones if children are exposed to high levels of the material.
The Mayo Clinic estimates that there are about 200,000 cases of lead poisoning per year in the US, so it definitely isn’t a topic that should just be brushed underneath the carpet. For adults, you will be experiencing symptoms including difficulty with memory, problems with mood disorders, miscarriages, headaches, high blood pressure and a range of other issues in moderate cases. If you are suffering from an especially severe case of it, death is even on the table.
For young people, the symptoms from exposure can be much more severe and will be something that your child will be suffering from their entire life. For kids the normal things they will have to live with when being exposed to lead sources including things such as seizures, hearing loss, vomiting, learning difficulties and developmental delay.
While you may be thinking that lead poisoning, and lead in paint is really a thing of the past, the reality of the matter is that that’s not the case. The EPA did a relatively good job in making sure that there was a very significant source that was vastly diminished with the introduction of the RRP rule, based on the previous ban of the substance in residential building projects, but it’s unfortunately the case that there are still industrial uses where leaded paint is very common, and if you have ever gone abroad, it is very easy to either buy products that contain the dangerous paint or at the very least be exposed to deteriorating paint that contains it.
If you read around the internet, the verdict is the same everywhere – with a poorly regulated industrial market, when you are working on a bike, it is very important that you protect yourself. If you have a bike that was imported from a different country at one point in time, there’s also a significant risk that lead was used. Many countries have had significantly more lenient rules when it has previously come to banning the material than the US had. While the law that was introduced in 1992 may have worked to take lead out of a range of consumer products, the term industrial has never been properly defined either, leaving much room for interpretation.
Effectively what that means is that you will be required to wear the proper PPE if you are doing a sanding job, but also that you should be discarding any piece of clothing that may have gotten the particles on it, why contractors will be wearing hazmat suits when they are doing jobs that require lead abatement. Even if congress required that the lead content be no higher than 0.5% by weight with the 1992 regulation, we would still encourage you to use PPE to avoid what remnants of lead may be in there.
While kids are the ones who are the most at risk when it comes to the exposure of this stuff, the actual material comes from somewhere, so you should make sure you properly familiarize yourself with the risks associated with you doing a DIY paint job on that old bike you have standing in the garage. Even if you may have bought a bike a couple of years ago, and the previous owner swears that it isn’t an issue, we at least encourage you to buy a LeadCheck swab and check the conditions for yourself to see if it’s something you should concern yourself with, although we always encourage people working with paint to err on the side of caution.
If you have any questions regarding the topic, or you’re simply curious about knowing what goes on with regards to the government’s desire to limit people’s exposure, we encourage you to stop by the blog on our website where we have a bunch of articles where you can read more into the topic.
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
