[Ducati] AMA COMPLETES REVIEW OF EPA GUIDANCE ON STREETBIKE RULES (NDC)

[Veloce916 at aol.com]

Wednesday, August 9, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AMA  COMPLETES REVIEW OF EPA GUIDANCE ON STREETBIKE RULES

PICKERINGTON, Ohio  -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has
announced that it's  completed its review of an Environmental Protection
Agency "Letter of  Guidance" on the subject of motorcycle-emissions
regulations.

The July  25 letter, which serves to clarify existing regulations, came
less than six  months after meetings between EPA technical officials and
AMA Government  Relations, in which the AMA sought clarification of
regulations for "kit" and  "custom" motorcycles.

"One of the AMA's goals in meeting with EPA  officials was to encourage
the agency to issue just this sort of  clarification," said AMA
Government Relations Vice President Ed Moreland.  "We're pleased that the
EPA heard our concerns, along with the concerns of  other groups and
individuals, and did its part to help American motorcyclists  know
exactly what the regulations mean."

Kit bikes are motorcycles  typically built by individuals using
off-the-shelf components, while custom  bikes are generally show bikes
built by a business and sold to a  customer.

Under the regulations, a person is allowed only one kit  motorcycle in
their lifetime that is exempt from meeting EPA emissions  requirements.
For custom motorcycles, a builder may create and sell up to 24  bikes a
year that don't meet EPA emissions requirements, but those machines  must
be labeled as exempt and are show bikes that only rarely may be  ridden.

The AMA's review of the recent Letter of Guidance confirmed that  by
using an EPA-certified engine, an individual will, in fact, be  permitted
to build a kit motorcycle without invoking the "one per lifetime"  rule,
subject to restrictions on exhaust systems, carburetors, fuel  injection,
and certain other components. From the EPA Letter of  Guidance:

"New highway motorcycles certified in this manner may be  operated or
re-sold without restriction, as long as all requirements of  this
procedure are met and the anti-tampering requirements of the  federal
Clean Air Act (42 U.S. C. sec. 203(a)) are met."

Before the  EPA adopted these rules in 2004, it was illegal for anyone to
ride a street  motorcycle built in 1980 or later if it didn't meet EPA
emissions  requirements.

The EPA rules adopted in 2004 require new road motorcycles  sold
nationwide beginning with the 2006 model year to meet strict  emissions
standards adopted earlier by California. The first phase of  the
California standards went into effect with model year 2004, with  a
second tier scheduled to go into effect with model year 2008.

The  EPA adopted the same standards but with a two-year delay, meaning
the first  phase took effect with the 2006 model year, and the second
phase will take  effect in model year 2010.

New motorcycles sold in California beginning  with the 2004 model year,
and nationwide beginning with the 2006 model year,  may not emit more
than 1.4 grams per kilometer of hydrocarbons and nitrogen  oxides, and 12
grams per kilometer of carbon monoxide.

The California  standard gets tougher in model year 2008, with a limit of
0.8 grams per  kilometer of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides and 12 grams
per kilometer of  carbon monoxide. The federal standard that goes in
effect in model year 2010  is the same.

When the EPA issued its final rules, the provisions related  to kit and
custom bikes were new, which the AMA notes also has led to the  confusion
surrounding them.

All major motorcycle manufacturers'  streetbikes meet federal model year
2006 emissions standards, and several  manufacturers' products already
meet the model year 2010  standards.

The AMA actively voiced motorcyclists' concerns to the EPA  beginning in
2001, as the federal agency worked to put together the new  emissions
requirements.

The EPA Letter of Guidance is posted on the  agency's website  at
http://www.epa.gov/oms/cert/dearmfr/cisd0615.pdf.

-30-

The  American Motorcyclist Association: rights. riding. racing. Founded
in 1924,  the AMA is a non-profit organization with more than 278,000
members. The  Association's purpose is to pursue, protect and promote the
interests of  motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members. For
more information,  visit the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com, or
call 1-800-AMA-JOIN. For  the latest news releases, visit the AMA News
Room at  http://home.ama-cycle.org/newsroom.