Many companies have 2 strokes in production this year, Polaris and Yamaha have the only 2 stroke atvs still in production to my knowledge. Excluding W-tec, gas gas and other low volume makes. Most manufacturers have 2 stroke off road motorcycles on sale as well. When the ban hits no one will be able to offer them in the US and gas gas and other 2 strokes will have to be purchased elsewhere and imported like Skylines and Lotus Elises

 

Wont they still be available for "closed course competition"?

 

Its possible. That part of the ban is kind of fuzzy IMO, so it could go either way. The point is that most people cant show that the machines wont be used off the track. With a car its pretty easy to keep them off the road, dont issue plates. But how do you keep atvs and bikes off the track? From my understanding and assumptions when the ban really hits, which could be anytime now or in the future, you wont be able to buy any 2 stroke engine for anything unless it meets the very, very restictive and strict emissions laws that will be imposed.

 

Well, I feel inclined to once again set my head on the chopping block, bracing for the barrage of backlash and slander that will surely follow.

Anyway, I would like to put to rest a few rumors here which I can debunk. First of all, my creditials. I work for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Subsurface Protection and Remediation Division.

The first rumor is that the EPA is out to kill the production of 2 stroke engines. This is completely false. In fact, the paper which has started this whole mess can be found here: EPA NonRoad Engine Regulation Proposal

However, since few of you will read it (it's 310 pgs), I will give you the highlights of what is pertinent here. Though often misquoted, this paper provides recomendations for off road engines with special emphasis on two strokes. However, the engines most often referred to are those of small household and farm equipment such as chain saws, lawn mowers, and old two stroke diesel equipment. It also heavily addresses the impact of two stroke polution in water environments. It does not, however, emphasize any decrease in recreational land vehicle two stroke production. It instead suggests that some of these vehicles could be manufactured to adhere to many of the same emissions standards adhered to by most onroad engine manufacturers.

Further, though the afore mentioned paper does make recommendations regarding emissions of land vehicles, as far as I know, no emissions regulation legislation has made it out of national committee. Only individual states have passed legislation regarding any emissions standards applicable to offroad engines. Instead, a bill was drafted banning two strokes on federal water (which comes from the emphasis on water pollution by two strokes).

I am sure I will soon be called a tree hugger, green thumb, etc... before all this is over. However, for those of you who think we at the EPA are simply bending over for the tree huggers, have a look at what some of the radical groups are saying about the paper in question. The Hikers for Clean Air, a fairly radical anti ATV (and anything else that runs on gas) group was quite disgusted with how "soft" the proposal was.

~HoundDog

 

Suzuki sells a lot of lt 80's